Huzzahs and Legs
by shadow0night
Summary: Takes place after episode 4.09. The brothers go to a Faire to investigate some murders and find more than they expected.
1. Start search

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural or any character from the show, Supernatural. They belong to Kripke and crew. I also do not own the Renaissance Faire, Renaissance Festival, or Faire and am not connected to them in any way. They too belong to some one else, besides me. I'm also not getting any financial benefits, by posting this story. No copyright infringement is intended. All errors regarding what goes on at a Faire are all mine and are due to my imagination.

/SN/

"Good morrow to you, sir! How many you wish to buy?" The young lass asked, as she watched the strikingly handsome man before her pull out his money.

"Two", he replied, with a twinkle in his eye as his gaze moved from her face to her low cut blouse.

After paying for the tickets, the young man returned to his comrade and gave him one of the tickets. Together they approached the gate and handed the tickets over to another young lass, who hungrily eyed them from head to toe.

Without a word, the young men entered the Faire and looked around them. With experienced eyes, they took in their surroundings and looked for anything amiss. The eldest of the two took a deep breath and identified the smells of smoked meat, bread, straw, and fallen leaves. His stomach growled, to remind him that he hadn't eaten in a while. The younger of the two took in the people and the stands that sold a variety of wares. Based on how some were dressed, he easily identified people's place in society and knew the level of respect they expected from others.

"Oh man, take a look at those legs," the eldest stated.

"Dean!" Sam rolled his eyes and looked over at his brother.

"What?!" Dean innocently replied. He slightly raised his one hand and pointed in the direction that he was looking. "You can't tell me that that doesn't look good to you." He challenged his brother.

Sam looked in the direction his brother indicated and shook his head. "I don't think she would appreciate your comment. Just because she's in costume, doesn't mean that she wants a guy to remark on her looks."

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Dean looked at Sam, as though his young brother had grown a third eye on his forehead. "We've haven't eaten since this morning and I'm starved. I'm thinking that one of those turkey legs, some fries, and a beer would really hit the spot. I don't see why we have to start this hunt on an empty stomach." Dean continued to look at Sam, as though he was waiting for Sam to explain his earlier remark.

Under his brother's scrutiny, Sam felt himself blush a bit. "Uh, sure. That sounds like a good idea. We can grab some food and figure out how to tackle this. I'll… uh, grab the food, while you get the drinks?" Sam fidgeted a bit, under Dean's continued scrutiny.

Dean raised an eyebrow, as he considered Sam's question. "Yeah, that sounds fine by me." Dean watched as Sam quickly turned and walked away. An evil smile appeared on Dean's face, as he thought about Sam's remarks and Sam's reaction to Dean's stare. Dean's attention turned back to the lady who held two large turkey legs, one in each hand. The girl was dressed as a bar wench. Her leather corset dress did much to show her figure and little to cover her legs, since it ended several inches above her knees. While she did wear leather boots which reached up to her knees, her boots seemed to simply accentuate her legs even more. Dean admitted to himself that he had noticed both, the turkey legs and the girl's legs. But, he saw no reason to let Sam know that he had been half right with where Dean's eyes had been looking.

/SN/

Dean got himself a beer and a bottle of water for Sam. Eyeing his brother trying to juggle two turkey legs and a container of fries, Dean quickly moved to assist his younger sibling. Finding a table to sit at, the two brothers sat down and began to eat. Dean savored the smoky, salty taste of the turkey, as he resumed looking at his surroundings. For several minutes, the two ate in silence, while they enjoyed their meals and the atmosphere.

Having finished his turkey leg, Dean decided to settle down to business, as he finished eating the fries. "So, tell me again why we had to come here?"

Sam took a sip of his water, before answering his brother's question. The turkey leg had been a nice change from their usual roadside diet. The meat had been well cooked and had easily fallen off the bone and dissolved in Sam's mouth. Sam tended to veer towards healthier foods and never consumed the quantity of meat that his brother did. But, Sam admitted to himself that the turkey leg had been quite a delicacy, even though it hadn't been served on a plate.

"Seems as though there's been a steady stream of deaths that have followed wherever the Faire goes. Within a few days after the Faire closes, dead bodies are found at the Faire site. The bodies belong to people who were working at the Faire. Strange part is that the people were never reported missing. Their families all assumed that they simply moved on with the Faire to the next site and were helping to set it up. The bodies had a variety of injuries and they didn't all die from the same thing. Various talismans were found near the bodies. But since the Faire sells talismans on their jewelry and other memorabilia, the police were never certain if there was a connection between the amulets and the deaths." Sam took a sip of water.

"Besides working for the Faire, did the people have anything else in common?" Dean asked.

"None that the police could find." Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's reply and Sam simply shrugged his shoulders. They both knew that the police didn't tend to look for a supernatural connection and could have easily overlooked something. "One thing the police did notice was that the people didn't die at the same time. After finding the bodies at a site, the coroner checked and determined that either they died at separate times or he was unable to conclude when they were killed."

Dean gave Sam a questioning look. "Unable to determine when they were killed?"

"Well, one time a body was found in ice and a few others were burned so badly that time of death couldn't be determined." Sam clarified.

"So, what makes you think this is up our alley and isn't some whacked out serial killer?" Dean asked.

"Every body had at least one talisman with it. And, there was always a bad electrical storm on the last day of the Faire." Sam watched Dean react to the last tidbit about the weather.

"Storm, huh?" Dean glanced around and easily spotted several craft stands that sold items, which had talismans incorporated into their products. "Anything special about the talismans?"

"I still need to do a little more digging on what each talisman was. The reports mainly say that they found various amulets on and near the bodies; but, the reports failed to say what the things represented. I'm hoping to find a few crime scene photos of the talismans and can then, go from there."

Out of his pocket, Dean pulled out a map of the Faire, which he had picked up as he had entered the grounds. Placing the map on the table, Dean looked at Sam. "Do all the Faires have the same layout?"

"Not all the Faires had their maps on the net. But, the ones that did did have similar layouts. They all have a main entrance and a place for jousting. They also have places for various shows, food stands, and shops. To me, it looked as though how things were laid out was influenced by what the area was like. Some places have creeks and other places are on small hills. From what I saw, the places tend to be on farms or old farmland."

"The bodies… were they all found around certain areas of the Faire?"

Sam paused, before answering Dean's question. "I'm not sure. When I look into the talismans, I'll also look into where exactly the bodies were found."

"Before we head to a hotel, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around." Dean said, as he stood up and threw his trash into a can. Sam followed Dean's example and then, the two began to wonder around the Faire.

The Faire was busy with people. There were those who were attending the Faire and were busy enjoying everything the Faire had to offer. From food, to shops, to shows, the Faire's visitors had a variety of things to choose from. And then, there were those who were working at the Faire. They were easy to pick out, since they were all in costume and spoke Elizabethan. Sam was amazed by how thorough the workers were with their outfits. From head to toe, the people were dressed in Renaissance attire, from wenches and peasants to ladies and knights. Sam was fascinated by their attention to detail with their outfits. They all looked as though they had just stepped off the page of a Shakespearean novel.

Dean was amazed with how fanatic the workers were with their outfits. No one could pay him enough to don one of those costumes. He did admire the leather corsets that many of the women wore. The weather was a bit warm for fall and Dean wondered how some of the women, who had many layers to their outfits, were managing to stay cool in the hot sun.

Dean had nonchalantly turned on the EMF meter and kept it in his pocket. Like the other visitors, he strolled in and out of each shop. But instead of looking for something to buy, he was looking for any signs of something supernatural. But, upon entering the blacksmith's area, Dean's eyes roamed longingly over the various hand-crafted weapons that were for sale. Swords and daggers of various sizes and designs were on display. Dean noticed the intricate work that had gone into all the pieces and found himself wondering the price of some of the items. With a small shake of his head, Dean re-focused his attention and moved on to the next shop.

While walking from one shop to another, Dean caught a whiff of something. Before he knew it, he was remembering his time in hell. Dean's heart began to race, as memories of horrific pain sent chills through his body. Dean took a quick breath and was back at the Faire. Casting a quick glance in Sam's direction, Dean saw that his brother hadn't noticed Dean's brief walk down memory lane. Dean looked around and was unable to determine what had caused him to think of hell and his experience there. Taking another whiff of the air, Dean noticed nothing unusual and was not bombarded with more memories from his time down below. Since the EMF meter didn't even bleep and he could see nothing that appeared out of place, Dean remained silent about his experience and continued to investigate with his brother.

After almost an hour, the boys found themselves back at the main entrance. The EMF meter had remained silent during their walk and neither brother had seen anything unusual. Not having any additional reason to remain there, the brothers left and found a hotel to stay at.

Chapter 2

Several hours later, Sam rubbed his eyes, as he shut his computer down for the night. Upon getting to the hotel, Sam had immediately started to look for additional information about the deaths. He had managed to get into a police database and had seen some of the crime photos and had gotten specifics on where the bodies had been found.

Noticing that Sam was shutting down the computer, Dean shut off the TV and looked at his brother. "Well? Did you find anything?"

"Found out that the bodies were found either at the jousting area, the King's Theater, or near the fortune teller's stand. And, those talismans had one of two meanings. Either they were used for protection or for success in all undertakings." Sam watched, as Dean thought about the new information.

"I wonder why the bodies were found at those three locations. Anything special about them?"

"Not that I could find."

"Ok, all the dead were workers at the Faire. Do we know if those people worked at those locations or did they just happen to be found at those locations?"

Sam's eyes widened, as he realized that he hadn't thought to look at that. Wordlessly, he turned his computer back on and began a new search.

Dean smiled as he watched his brother return to the research. Getting off his bed, Dean grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door. "I'll grab us something to eat, while you work on that." Sam nodded in reply.

Minutes later, Dean returned with some food and set it out on a table in their room. Sam was in the bathroom, while Dean grabbed a plate of food and sat down on his bed. A quick chill ran down Dean's spine and he found himself instantly on alert. Dean cast a furtive glance around the room and saw no reason for the chill. Dean recalled his memories of hell, while at the Faire, and wondered what had made him think of that. Several weeks had passed since he had returned from hell and still it felt as though hell would not let go of him completely. It haunted him as he slept and even while awake, visions of hell managed to come to mind and trouble him. Dean was just glad that Sam wasn't in the room. Dean knew that Sam wanted to help Dean cope with what had happened in hell; but, Dean also knew that nothing Sam said would ever free Dean from his horrific memories, which words failed to describe.

Sam exited the bathroom and found his brother sitting on one of the beds. Sam noticed that Dean's attention appeared to be focused on the plate, which he was holding. However, Sam knew his brother well enough to know that something else was running through Dean's head besides food. Sam let out a small sigh, as he went to grab some food for himself. Dean had that haunted look on his face, which he got whenever he remembered hell. Sam wanted so badly to ease the torment that Dean suffered due to those memories. But, Sam had yet to find some way to do that. He couldn't help but wonder why Castiel hadn't wiped those memories from Dean's mind. After all, Castiel had removed all of Dean's scars and had healed all of Dean's wounds, which the hellhounds had caused. If an angel could do all of that, then why couldn't he also erase those horrific memories of hell from Dean's memory? Was there a reason why his brother had to continue to bear such a burden? Hadn't his brother already paid enough of a price, with all the sacrifices he had made while hunting the supernatural?

With his own plate, in hand, Sam sat down on his bed. After a few bites of food, Sam decided to tell Dean what he had found.

"Ok, we have bodies that were found at the site of three Faires. At the first Faire, four bodies were found. Two were at the jousting area and the other two were at the King's Theater. At the second site, seven bodies were found. Five were found at the fortune teller's stand, one was at the jousting area and one at the King's Theater. At the last site, five bodies were found. Three were located at the fortune teller's stand and two at the jousting area. None of the dead worked at the fortune tells stand. Five of the dead preformed on stage at that the King's Theater. Two of the dead worked in the jousting arena. However, the rest were all workers at the Faire and would have spent time around the Theater and jousting area. Before you ask, they did not all play the same role at the Faire." Sam answered his brother's quizzical look. "They played various roles in the Renaissance society, from knight to peasant and in between. And besides the fact that they were all in costume, I could not find any similarities with their outfits. Some got their clothes from the shops at the Faire, some had made their own and others got theirs online. Now, the talismans were all from the Faire. In fact, they had all been made by the same artisan and he happened to be working at the very Faire that we were at today."

Dean arched an eyebrow at Sam's last tidbit of information. "Same guy, huh? Anything interesting about him?"

"Nothing I could find on the internet. Unlike some of the other artisans from the Faire, he doesn't have his own website and I couldn't find any place online that you can order his stuff from. He seems to only sell his things at the Faire itself." Sam took a few more bites of his food, while his brother thought about what Sam had found.

"So, same guy was at all the same Faires. Sounds like we may need to look a little closer at him."

"Maybe and maybe not." Sam's remark got him a quizzical look from Dean. Sam gave a small shrug of his shoulders, as he explained. "Many of the artisans and other Faire workers live like gypsies and follow the Faire wherever it goes during the year. They earn their living by going from one state to another. Some of the artisans further their sales by also selling their merchandise online. But for the most part, they rely on the Faire to earn their living. In general, the people who work as trash collectors and sell tickets and stuff like that are people who live close to where the Faire happens to be at the time. But overall, the workers at the Faire are a mix of locals and people who travel with it." Before Dean had a chance to ask a question, Sam continued with what he had found. "With regards to the dead, they were a pretty even mix of locals and travelers. Whoever or whatever killed these people didn't really seem to care where the victims called home."

"There goes that possibility." Dean sounded disappointed that there wasn't an obvious connection among the dead. But then again, he shouldn't have been surprised, since things were never easy for the Winchesters. "Still sounds as though the talisman artisan would be a good place to start. Even if he isn't behind the deaths, maybe he can explain why his talismans are being found around dead bodies. I don't think something like that is a good selling point." Dean said with a small grin.

Chapter 3

The boys returned to the Faire the next day and headed towards the artisan's shop. Again, Dean had turned on the EMF meter and kept it in his pant's pocket. The brothers passed the blacksmith's stand, and Dean happened to turn to watch the blacksmith show off how he made his iron artwork. Unlike the other on-lookers, Dean's attention wasn't drawn to the blacksmith. Instead, Dean was focused on the hot fire, which the blacksmith was using. Suddenly, he was back in hell. The scorching, oppressive, suffocating heat stole the air from Dean's lungs and left his body gasping for air. While the white and blue flames danced before his eyes, Dean's body cringed at the unbearable heat that surrounded his body. He could feel his blood boiling under his skin. Deprived of air, he was unable to scream and was forced to remain mute and unable to express his anguish. Dean blinked his eyes and was back at the Faire. The onlookers were ignorant of Dean's little jaunt down memory lane and were oohing and ahing over how the blacksmith preformed his craft. With a quick shake of his head, Dean turned back and saw Sam looking at him.

Sam had been leading the way to where the artisan had his stand. After a while, Sam no longer felt his brother behind him. Turning around, Sam was surprised to see Dean watching the blacksmith. At first glance, it looked as though Dean was as equally fascinated by the blacksmith as the other onlookers. But, Sam recognized the look on his brother's face and knew Dean was no longer at the Faire. The temperature was in the seventies and the sun had not had a chance to get too warm; but, Sam noticed some beads of sweat forming on Dean's forehead. Sam was about to head back to Dean, when he saw Dean blink and realized that his brother was now back at the Faire. Sam knew that Dean hadn't been lost in thought for long; but from the look on his brother's face, Sam could tell that Dean felt that he had been gone for an eternity.

Realizing Sam had noticed Dean's little detour from reality; Dean gave a small shrug of his shoulder and then headed towards the artisan's stand. Now was not the time for an improvised therapy session from Sam. And they both knew that there was nothing Sam could say to make the memories stop. So, with squared shoulders and a steady gait, Dean made it clear that they were back to work as usual.

Sam watched Dean walk towards their destination and shook his head. He wanted so much to be able to stop Dean's flashbacks of hell; but, Sam knew that there was no way he could do that. All he could do was be there for Dean and make certain that Dean knew that Sam would always be there for him.

Dean walked up the wooden steps, which lead to the artisan's shop. The word, shop, was a generous description for the place. It was about the size of three out-houses put together and had a roof over it, with shelves lining the walls. The place was constructed of wood and had been made to look rustic. Various metal-work was displayed on the shelves. Book ends, decorative ornaments, necklaces, and other knick-knacks filled the shelves. Almost all of the pieces had some sort of a talisman incorporated into it. Dean's eyes barely registered the wares. Instead, he focused on the man, who was seated at the back of the shop and had a money box on a shelf in front of him. Stepping around a woman, who was looking at a necklace, Dean approached the man.

"You make all these?" Dean asked.

With a proud smile, the man looked at Dean. "Aye Sir. My hands doth maketh thou most hard metal into somethin' that thou Lady would swoon ov'r. Thou lady perchance even repay thou most Fairest treasure with a treasure of her own, which doth only receivest in thou bed." The man said with a wink of his eye and small grin on his face.

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed." Dean reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a badge. "I'm with the FBI. My partner and I are investigating some murders which seem to follow this little road-show of yours."

"Nay. I doth am a Hawker of metal trinkets and hath now no knowledge of the evil thee speaketh of. If thou desire to talk'st of death, perchance thou shallst seek the executioner. He doth knowest of death and such hideous acts thou mention."

"An executioner does know about death. But, I'm more interested in learning why your talismans were found with the bodies. Is your work so popular that it's on every murderer's must have list?"

"By God's wounds, I doth not know of what thou speaketh of!" The man exclaimed, as he quickly looked to ensure that the other customers had not heard Dean's question. "Prithee leave now, before thou words scareth these fine folk." The man turned pleading eyes towards Dean. "My work is humble an' hath no villainous affair with death. My talismans doth bring good fortune an' luck."

"Aren't they used 'for protection and success in all undertakings'?" Dean quoted Sam's research and stressed the word protection. Dean leaned towards the man and lowered his voice. "What would they need protection from?"

The man leaned back, as Dean's face came closer to his own. "Nay sir. I knoweth not. My talismans perchance protect from sour luck and improve one's chances of succeedin' in life." The man squirmed under Dean's intense stare.

"Obviously, they didn't work for the sixteen people who landed up murdered. Do you happen to offer refunds if the talismans don't live up to their claim?"

The man simply answered by shaking his head no.

Dean continued to stare at the man a few seconds more, as he gauged whether or not the salesperson might be trying to hold back on something. Deciding that the salesperson was being honest, Dean stood back up and stopped his scrutiny of the man. Seeing a business card on the table, which the cash box was on, Dean picked up a card and read it. "Jason Smith."

The man tentatively nodded his head, when Dean read the card aloud.

"You staying with the Faire, while it's in town?"

"Aye sir." The man said sheepishly.

Pocketing the card, Dean said, "Good." Turning around, he saw Sam nearby and with his head, indicated that he was ready to leave. As Dean left the shop, he heard the seller let out a deep sigh of relief.

/SN/

After walking a short distance from the shop, Sam spoke up. "So, he didn't seem to know anything. Where to next?"

Looking back at the shop they had just left, Dean asked, "I wonder what's up with the funny way he was talking? I swear, had I heard another 'aye', 'doth', 'thou' or anything else like that I would have had to hit the guy just for the sake of my own sanity."

Sam grinned. "It's called Elizabethen. The people who work at the Faire are required to speak it. It's supposed to add to the whole Faire experience."

"I don't know. It didn't do anything for me; but make me want to hit the guy. But, it does sound like something right up your alley."

Sam just shook his head and chose not to take the bait. He didn't have a problem with how the seller had spoken and had found it to be an entertaining change of pace. But, Sam knew enough to know to keep that little tidbit to himself.

"I say we get something to eat, before heading over to the fortune teller." Dean said, as he began to walk towards a nearby food stand.

"Why the fortune teller?"

Dean looked at Sam, as though the answer should be obvious. "Fortune tellers are supposed to know all and see all, right? So, who else at the Faire would have a better idea as to why all these murders are taking place?" Dean went up to the food stand and bought some food.

Sitting down on a bench., the brothers began to eat the food. "How cool are these? Not only do you get some good stew; but, you also get to eat the bread that it's contained in and the bread gets a chance to soak up the gravy. Man, this is really cool." Dean remarked, as he ate his bread bowl, which contained a hearty stew.

Sam silently watched as Dean devoured the stew, before eating the bread, which had been hollowed out and then used as a bowl to serve the stew in. Sam smiled, as he watched how much his brother enjoyed the unique cuisine. Realizing that Dean would probably be a little thirsty after the meal, Sam stood up and went to get them something to drink.

Dean watched Sam head over to a drink stand. As Dean's attention returned to his gravy-soaked bread, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. To his surprise, Castiel was seated on the bench, next to him. Dean glanced over at Castiel, before returning his attention to his food.


	2. A twist

Chapter 4

"You have a job to do here, Dean." Castiel said.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Dean looked up at Castiel. "This have anything to do with those sixteen murders that have taken place where this Faire has stopped at? Because if so, then we're already on the case."

Castiel cocked his head, before answering Dean. "It's not what you think."

"Really? And just what is it about, then?" Dean knew Castiel had saved him from hell; but, talking to the angel could really be less than fulfilling, at times. As Dean finished up his bread bowl, he could smell apple dumplings and found his mouth watering at the thought of the tasty treat.

'You have to protect him." Castiel began.

"Who? Sam?" Dean straightened up and quickly glanced in his brother's direction. Not seeing any obvious threats, Dean turned back to Castiel, who was shaking his head.

"No. Asaph. The demons are out to stop him and he must be kept alive so he can pass the word." Castiel stated.

"Asaph? Who's that? And why can't you protect him?" Before Castiel could answer, Dean put up his hand. "Wait. I get it. The angels are too busy doing other things and need us mere mortals to do this little errand."

Castiel looked stunned by Dean's abruptness. "We've already suffered enough losses. This needs to be done and you can handle it."

Dean shrugged and waited for Castiel to continue.

"Asaph needs to be kept alive so he can let others know how to prepare and fight in the war. His other guardians have been killed and new ones need time to get here."

"Guardians? You mean those sixteen people who died were protecting this Asaph guy?"

"Yes. Numerous people come to the Faire and since it travels, Asaph is easily able to pass the word to many people. The demons know he's at the Faire and, in the past, have come close to killing him. That's why he has guardians. If he's killed, there's no one to take his place. He has to be kept safe and alive. But, he can't go into hiding, since he too has a part to play in this war."

Dean thought about what Castiel had said. "So, where is this Asaph guy? I take it he's one of the people wearing a costume around here." Dean said smugly.

"Yes."

Dean waited a moment and was not surprised when Castiel did not continue. For an angel, Castiel really seemed to limit what he said to Dean. "Ok… care to tell me where we can find this guy?"

"He's around. He'll find you." Castiel said with a knowing look in his eyes.

Dean glanced over in Sam's direction. "How will we know it's him and not some demon posing as him?" Dean asked as he turned back to face Castiel. Except, Castiel wasn't there any more and Dean's question went unanswered.

/SN/

Sam approached Dean, on the bench, and saw that his brother was distracted. To his relief he realized that whatever had distracted Dean was not some memory of hell. Instead, his brother had more of an annoyed, distracted look on his face.

"What's up?" Sam asked, as he handed Dean a drink.

Dean's head whipped around and Dean seemed surprised to find Sam standing next to him. "Nothing… Do you know some one by the name of Asaph?"

Ok, kinda random. Sam thought to himself. Deciding to humor his older brother and to try and figure out what he had missed, Sam answered the question. "No, can't seem to recall any one by that name. Care to describe what he looks like to me?"

"Wish I could. Don't know myself. Just know that we need to "protect" him." Dean stressed the word, protect, as though Sam should know how important it was.

"Um, all right." Sam stated doubtfully. "Who or what are we protecting him from and where is this guy?"

"Don't know." Was Dean's short reply. Catching Sam's confused expression. "What? That's all I know. While you were taking your time getting us something to drink, Castiel decided to join me. He said that we need to protect Asaph, until his new guardians can relieve us. Turns out all those dead bodies belong to people who were Asaph's guardians in the past. Apparently, this guy is wanted by the demons and we need to keep him safe; so, he can do his job."

Sam's skin crawled at the mention of Castiel. Sam knew he owed Castiel for pulling Dean out of hell. But, something about Castiel bothered Sam. He didn't know if it was how Castiel spoke to Dean or how unnerved Dean seemed to be, after being visited by Castiel, which caused Sam to have mixed feelings about the angel. Focusing his attention back on the conversation, Sam asked, "So, did Castiel say where or how we could find this guy?"

"Didn't say. Just said that he would find us." Dean was just as disappointed as Sam was by the lack of information. Sure, the brothers had worked cases with very little information. But, Castiel seemed to prefer to keep things close to the vest and only gave out things on a need to know basis. And for some strange reason, it seemed as though Castiel never felt like the brothers needed to know much of anything. People say that God works in mysterious ways; but, Castiel seemed to prefer to work in more baffling and puzzling ways himself.

The brothers drank their beverages in silence. Each lost in his own thoughts. Although their minds wondered, they glanced around at the people who walked past them and paid attention to the Faire workers who were working nearby. Could one of them be Asaph? What kind of costume was the guy wearing? Was he dressed as a person of royalty? Or, was he dressed as a peasant? Did Castiel tell Asaph that the Winchesters had been assigned as his new, temporary guardians? How soon would he let the brothers know who he was?

Chapter 5

After finishing their drinks, the brothers stood up and walked around the Faire. Occasionally, they would stop and watch part of a show, before continuing on with their stroll around the grounds. Both brothers kept their eyes open for any one trying catch their attention. A few of the female Faire workers tried to catch Dean's attention; but, Dean was quick to realize that they were not trying to catch his attention because they wanted his help; but that they had another reason for doing so. Any other time, Dean would have freely approached the women and gotten their numbers. But, not today. Not right now. Right now, he needed to find this Asaph character and figure out how to keep the guy alive. Dean wasn't keen on Sam and himself being used as bodyguards and was not totally comfortable on how Castiel had assigned him and his brother to such a role. Dean knew that he and his brother had some role to play in the war against the demons. But, Dean didn't like being used as a puppet by Castiel or any one else for that matter. During his life, Dean had only followed orders given to him by very few people. Dean owed Castiel his life; but, that didn't mean that Dean was comfortable blindly following Castiel's instructions.

Dean looked at his watch and saw that the Faire would soon be closing for the day. Dean became discouraged, since they still had not identified who Asaph was. Dean knew that the Faire was only open on the weekends and if they didn't find Asaph today, then they may not get another chance to do so until the following weekend. The Faire was scheduled to remain where it was for another four weeks. So at least, they didn't have to worry about the Faire moving on within the next week or two. Still, Dean was unnerved by not knowing who Asaph was. The sooner Sam and Dean found the guy, the sooner the brothers could figure out some way to protect him. Dean wondered if they could temporarily keep the guy from attending the Faire, until the other guardians arrived. Castiel had mentioned that Asaph was traveling with the Faire, in order to contact more people. But, Dean felt that temporarily keeping Asaph from the Faire wasn't a bad idea.

"Sam, the Faire is going to close soon." Dean saw Sam nod his head and realized that Sam too had noticed that time was running out for the brothers to find Asaph, before the Faire closed for the day. "How 'bout we head over to the jousting arena, the King's theater and the fortune teller's stand? If we don't see some sign of him, after checking out those places, we'll call it a day." Sam nodded his head in agreement.

The boys walked over to the jousting arena. They watched as the Faire's entertainers put on one last show for the attendees. Not seeing any one trying to catch their attention. The boys went to check out the King's Theater. However, the theater area was empty. All the performers were over at the jousting arena, as part of the final performance. Since there was no one at the theater, the boys went to the fortune teller's stand. As the boys approached the stand, they saw the fortune teller walk her customer out the door and watched her shut the door behind her. She cast a glance in the brothers' direction; but, she showed no signs of paying much attention to them.

/SN/

Having checked out the three places and not finding any one who was trying to catch their attention, the brothers headed back towards the Faire's exit. Seeing a food stand still open, Dean decided to get something to eat for the ride back to their hotel.

"Sam, you want anything?" Dean enquired.

"No, thanks." Sam replied.

With a shrug of his shoulder, Dean went to the stand and bought some fries. He wasn't really hungry; but, the smell, of the fries, was just too enticing to ignore.

After putting some ketchup on the large portion of fries, Dean met up with Sam, who had been waiting next to a nearby tree.

/SN/

Sam watched as his brother went to get something to eat. Why hadn't Asaph contacted them yet? The Faire was closing for the day and they had yet to be contacted. Had something already happened to Asaph and that was why he had not been in touch? Sam glanced around as the Faire goers all headed towards the exit. Some were busy talking amongst themselves. Some carried bags, which contained things they had bought at the Faire. Was one of these people possessed by a demon, which was also on the look-out for Asaph?

Sam wondered about who had killed Asaph's previous guardians. Had the killers all been people, who were possessed by demons? Or, was an un-possessed person sent to do the killing? Had the killer or killers been attendees of the Faire or employees? As Sam waited for Dean, more questions arose and Sam became frustrated that he had no immediate way of finding answers to the questions.

Sam watched Dean walk towards him with a heaping pile of fries. Sam grinned at the amount of fries, which Dean had purchased. Sam knew his brother well enough to know that all the fries would be gone, before the brothers made it back to their motel. By the time the brothers got to the Impala, Dean would probably have made a big dent in the mound of fries, and the rest would be consumed during the drive to their motel.

"Any one try to catch your attention," Dean asked Sam, as he put some fries into his mouth.

"No." Sam replied. He saw Dean's disappointment with Sam's answer. And truth be told, Sam felt the same way. They had spent part of their day trying to figure out why dead bodies had shown up at the Faire's previous locations and had then spent the rest of their day wandering around and waiting for Asaph to make himself known.

/SN/

In unison, the brothers joined the mass of attendees heading towards the exit. The various stands remained open, as the people exited, and tried to lure the people into making one last purchase before they left. Sam and Dean failed to be tempted by the offers and kept their eyes on where they were headed.

Several Faire performers lined the route that lead to the exit. They bade farewell to the people and encouraged them to return again with friends. Each weekend had a theme, and the performers told the guests what to expect in the upcoming weeks. Again, the brothers paid little heed to what the performers were saying and undeterred, they continued on their way.

As they neared the exit, they heard a performer singing and saw that he was playing a funny looking instrument. At first, Dean paid little attention to the performer. However, the man's words caught Dean's attention and he found himself stopping to look at the man.

_Alas two brothers_

_Trained to fight._

_United by blood_

_And divided by blood_

_Trained to fight_

_What most doth not see._

_United by blood_

_And divided by blood_

_One sent to hell_

_And both brought back to life._

_United by blood_

_And divided by blood_

_Together will they fight_

_Or die separately._

_United by blood_

_And divided by blood_

Dean's blood ran cold and he was unnerved by the lyrics. Throughout their day at the Faire, Dean had heard various songs, which he guessed were Renaissance in nature. However, this song was different. Its lyrics seemed to reflect some of the brothers' lives. It was being sung by a Faire's performer and the man was playing some ancient looking instrument. But, the lyrics reflected things the brothers had experienced during their lives. Dean felt a cold chill run down his spine, as some of the singer's final words were said. 'Die separately'… what did that mean? Dean wasn't keen on how the song ended. He didn't know who the performer was; but, he had every intention of finding out.

Chapter 6

Sam too had heard the singer's performance. Sam was also unnerved by the song's lyrics. He noticed Dean tense and saw his brother quickly turn towards the singer. Sam knew his brother well enough to have an idea as to what was going through Dean's head. Dean probably wasn't happy with what the singer had said and had every intention of having a little 'talk' with the guy. Sam quickly glanced around, before catching up with Dean in his walk towards the performer. Sam watched as Dean dropped his fries into a trash can, as they strolled towards the performer. Yep, Dean was pissed, Sam thought to himself. For Dean to discard his food meant that Dean had bigger things on his mind and that usually meant that some one or something was in serious trouble. The singer continued on with his performance, as though he was unaware of the brothers heading towards him.

_Demons all around_

_An' more comin' each day_

_Hither heigh ho_

_Claimin' our bodies_

_An' taken our souls_

_Hither heigh ho_

_Some with black eyes_

_An' others with yellow_

_Hither heigh ho_

_Making' tasty deals_

_Simply askin' for thee soul_

_Hither heigh ho_

_Takin' thee to hell_

_An' makin' thee their own_

_Hither heigh ho_

_Pray thou brothers_

_Get to thee in time_

_Hither heigh ho._

The musician played a few more chords on his instrument, as he finally took notice of the two men headed towards him. Sam and Dean were now close enough to grab the guy. But, aware of all the people around them, Dean refrained from grabbing the guy by his shirt and dragging him off to have a little 'talk'. Dean gave a furtive glance around them and confirmed that none of the exiting visitors was paying any attention to Dean or the minstrel.

"How about we go somewhere to talk," Dean's tone made it clear that his comment really wasn't a question and that the singer would be wise to do as Dean said.

The singer meekly met Dena's eyes. "Why sir, doth thee not pleasure in my songs' words? Hath thee a suggestion of what I shalth sing?"

Dean coldly stared at the man. "We can do this here or in private. I'm not into karaoke and the only tune you're going to hear is the one I make when I use that contraption you have, in your hands, to hit you on the head."

The singer's eyes widened. He seemed to be more concerned about his musical instrument being damaged than the threat to his own personal safety.

"Very well. Doth thee see thou stand yonder? The one that selleth the soup and bread?"

Not wanting to let the singer out of his sights, Dean spoke up. "Why don't you just lead the way? Faire's closing any way and I doubt you have any plans for the night."

"Oh, so thou seeith the future as well? Doth thou knoweth thee lucky numbers for the local lottery? Perchance thou shareth the numbers and the prize could be shareth amongst us."

Choosing not to waste his breath, Dean simply extended his hands and made it obvious that he was reaching for the musician's instrument.

Clutching the instrument to his chest, the singer quickly turned and led the brothers to the stand he had mentioned. The three of them stepped behind the soup stand. From where they stood, they could not be seen by the exiting guests and was also relatively protected from the eyes of the Faire's workers.

"Who are you and where did you get your songs from?" Dean asked in a low, heated voice. While his volume was low, Dean's words and tone made it clear that he was not messing around.

"I'm Asaph." The musician replied. Raising his one hand to his head and then, artfully lowering it to his stomach, he gave them a dramatic bow. "Perhaps, thou hasth heard of my insightful work. My work doth draw many and impacts even more."

"Drop the act." Dean simply stated. "Why should I believe that you're Asaph?"

"Doth thou…"

"I said speak English." Dean coldly stated. The Elizabethan dialect was nerve racking and Dean had no desire to listen to any more of it.

"Fine." Asaph answered, as he squared his shoulders. "I believe Castiel told you that you're to be my guardians, until replacements can be found?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Can be found? I thought they were already on their way."

"Oh, they will be found. It just takes time for them to take form and arrive. They don't just fall from trees you know?" Asaph stated, as though the brothers should have already known where Asaph's guardians came from.

The brothers shared a quick glance with each other.

"How long before the guardians get here?" Sam asked. Based on what he had seen in Dean's eyes, Sam knew that Dean wasn't happy with what Asaph had said. The brothers weren't accustomed to staying in one place for any length of time and if Asaph's guardians were slow to arrive, Sam knew that Dean would not be pleased.

"Hard to say." Asaph shrugged his shoulders. "Last time, it took a couple weeks." Again, his remark caused the brothers to quickly look at each other. "They know I work at the Faire; but, the Faire is only open on the weekends. During the week, they wouldn't know where to find me."

"What? You only make appearances on the weekend? What do you do during the week?" Dean asked.

"I hide." Asaph plainly stated.

"If it's so dangerous for you to be out in the open, then why even go to the Faire? Wouldn't it be wiser for you to change your routine and stop going to the Faire?" Sam asked. He understood Asaph needing to hide, when he wasn't doing his job. But, Sam couldn't grasp why Asaph would make it difficult for his own guardians to find him.

"I need to go to the Faire, since people know that this is where they can find out what's to come. If I stop coming, then how would I pass on what I have to say?"

"Ever heard of the internet? Or email?" Dean smartly replied.

"And how would people know that I was the one posting the information and that it wasn't some demon misguiding them? No. This has to be done in person." Asaph glanced around nervously.

"What? Are you expecting some one?' Dean asked. He had noticed that Asaph had grown more anxious as they stood there.

"Hopefully not. But, I've learned the importance of being aware of others around me and those who might be headed in my direction."

Dean also took a quick look around and confirmed that no one seemed to be paying much attention to the three of them. "How 'bout we take you back to our hotel room, until we can figure things out?"

"Ok." Asaph agreed to the suggestion and followed the brothers towards the exit.

/SN/

A pair of eyes watched the brothers and the musician leave their position behind the stand and walk toward the exit. Using a stick, which had a sharp metal point at the end, the owner of the eyes skillfully stabbed some paper trash off the ground and swiftly transferred it into a trash bag. The brown eyes turned to solid black, before swiftly returning to their brown shade.


	3. Fresh Start

Chapter 7

Back at the hotel room, the three men sat down and discussed their options. Dean felt as though a big bulls-eye had been painted on his and Sam's backs, since Asaph had joined them. Castiel may have told Dean to protect Asaph; but, that didn't mean that Dean had to be comfortable with the idea.

"Look, I'm just saying that you stop going to the Faire for a week or two. You know the demons are hot on your tail and from what you've told us, they've already come pretty close to killing you a few times." Dean tried to sound rational. He was already fuming due to how persistent Asaph was that he be at the Faire the following weekend. Dean didn't see why he and Sam had to risk their lives, when simply keeping Asaph from the Faire would make it more difficult for the demons to find him.

"If I'm not at the Faire, then no one is going to know what's to come. I _have _to be there. No one else can take my place. People know to go to the Faire to be told how to prepare themselves. If I'm not there, then they won't know what to expect and won't know how to plan." Asaph insisted.

"How does singing the instructions in public help people? In case you've forgotten, demons can hear too. You're not just telling people what to expect; but, you're also letting the demons know what you know." Dean pointed out the obvious flaw in Asaph's plan.

"There are thousands, upon thousands of spells out there. The right one can be used to keep the demons and those controlled by the demons from hearing what I'm saying. While you and others like you hear me singing of what's to come, the demons only hear another Renaissance jingle." Asaph looked from one brother to the next. He needed to convince them that his presence at the Faire was mandatory and nothing else was acceptable.

"So, all these people who died were all your guardians?' Sam asked.

"Yes and no." Asaph received a questioning look from both brothers and then continued. "Most of the dead were my guardians. A few people were bystanders, who saw something going wrong and tried to intervene. Faire employees tend to be like family. If some one sees another Faire worker being given a hard time, they tend to step up and have the person's back."

Sam recalled that bodies had been found at the Faire's three previous sites. He also knew that the Faire tended to remain at a site for more than a month. "All the bodies were found, after the Faire left. So, when were the people killed? Were they all killed on the last day of the Faire?"

"No. Their deaths were spread out. Some times, two were killed at the same time. But usually, their deaths occurred at different times." Asaph knew the next question Sam was about to ask and simply answered, before the question was spoken. "Like I said, there are thousands and thousands of spells. One was used to mask the bodies, until after the Faire moved on."

"So, some of these people had been dead for weeks, before they were found? And nobody missed them?" Dean asked in amazement.

"Most people, who work at the Faire, are nomadic. They're known for moving around and moving on, without necessarily letting others know of their movements. So, people who know them aren't shocked or worried when they haven't been heard from." Asaph explained.

"You said that sometimes it takes a couple weeks, before replacement guardians can arrive. What do you normally do, when you don't have a guardian?" Sam asked.

"I'm extra careful. I usually don't sleep and tend to become a little paranoid." Asaph said, with a small smile.

"Well, if you're accustomed to watching your own back, why were we assigned to the case?" Dean flatly asked.

"The demons are getting closer and closer to finding me. The near misses are coming more regularly. The war is heating up and I still have a lot more work to do. Some one else has decided that they don't want to risk me being on my own too long. So, you've been called in."

"Some one else?" Dean asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Some one on a much higher pay grade, than anybody in this room." Asaph answered smartly.

Dean didn't like the fact that he was expected to watch out for Asaph. And the more time he spent talking to Asaph, the less he liked the guy. Dean didn't like how flippant Asaph was getting and didn't like the fact that Asaph didn't seem to mind that others had died protecting him.

Dean looked at his watch and saw how late it was. "It's late. You might as well go to bed. And don't even think about going anywhere without telling me." Dean scolded.

Asaph shrugged his shoulders and headed to his room. It had happened that when the brothers had rented their room earlier, it was attached to another room. Initially the brothers had seen no reason to use the attached room. But after Asaph joined them, Sam had gone to the front desk and also rented out the attached room.

After Asaph had left their room, Dean sat down and looked at Sam. "What do you think?"

Sam looked at Dean and weighed the question. He too didn't like the attitude Asaph had developed as he spoke. But, if Asaph was needed to prepare others for the war, then the brothers had no choice but to put up with the guy's attitude. "It's only temporarily. It's just until replacements can arrive." Sam tried to rationalize.

"Yeah, but at the rate he's going through guardians, how long do you think that's going to take? It's already taken a couple weeks to find previous replacements. Who's to say that this time around it won't take even longer? If Castiel thought it would only take a day or two, I doubt he would have told us to watch the guy." Dean fumed.

Sam simply nodded his head in agreement. Dean had a point and Sam had already been thinking along the same lines.

"Look. Why don't you do what you do best? Do some research and see what you can find on this guy." Dean suggested.

Sam grabbed his laptop and settled into research mode.

/SN/

A few hours later, Sam looked up from the computer screen. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards Dean, who had dozed off on a bed. Deciding that what he had learned could wait until morning, Sam shut down the computer.

Having lightly dozed off, Dean noticed the sound of the computer whirling down and opened his eyes. "Any luck? Or, is he just one big question mark?" Dean smiled, when he saw Sam jump at the unexpected question.

Composing himself, Sam started telling Dean what he had learned. "In Hebrew, Asaph means "collector". In the bible, an Asaph is mentioned in Chronicles. It's said that he was with David and was "skilled in music" and was a seer. More recently, I've come up with nothing. The guy's a ghost. I went to all the sites for the Faire's previous stops and couldn't find a single mention or photo of him. It's actually pretty amazing to see how many photos people take at these Faire's and post. But some how, Asaph managed to stay out of all of them."

"What do you think? Another one of those thousands and thousands of spells?" Dean asked, with a smirk.

"Maybe. Or, he's just camera shy." Sam replied. "I checked police databases and a few other databases and couldn't find anything on or about this guy."

"Well, good try. I'm not totally shocked you couldn't find anything. After all, I don't think he wants too much publicity, since that might just make it easier for the demons to find him."

Chapter 8

Sam had gone out to grab them some breakfast. Dean had already been up for several minutes and had finished his morning routine. Hearing a knock, on the door which separated the joined rooms, Dean opened the door. Not waiting for an invitation, Asaph walked into the Winchester's room. Dean scowled but said nothing. Dean wanted to discuss something with Asaph and was glad that Sam wasn't around for the conversation. As Asaph made himself comfortable on a chair next to the room's table, Dean decided to cut to the chase, before Sam returned with breakfast. Sitting down on his bed, Dean looked at Asaph.

"Yesterday, at the Faire, you said, 'united by blood and divided by blood'. What did you mean by that?"

"You're brothers." Asaph simply stated, as though the connection should have been quite obvious. "You have the same parents," he continued plainly. "But, Sam has something in his blood that you don't." Asaph leaned forward and kept eye contact with Dean, as he astutely stated the lyric's meaning.

"He's my brother, no matter what may or may not be in his blood." Dean answered protectively and heatedly. "And, how do you know what's in his blood?" Dean asked challengingly. "Is there some gossip magazine I should subscribe to so I know…" Dean's ire rose with every word.

"He's not the first, and he's not the only one." Asaph cut Dean's tirade short with his simple statement.

"What?" Dean asked, while his anger dissipated as quickly as it had grown. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Asaph met Dean's eyes and held them. "He's not the only one a demon infected with demon's blood."

"How do you know this?"

"I just do."

"Do you know what happens to my brother?" Dean asked with a tone that bordered on pleading. He had gone to hell for Sam and had returned to find that Sam had changed. Sam had tapped into the demon blood mojo and had become something that worried Dean. If Sam went too far with his new powers, would Dean really be able to stop him? Would Dean be able to save his brother?

Asaph slowly and sadly shook his head. He knew what questions Dean was not verbally asking and knew how important the spoken question was. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

Stunned by the answer, Dean strained to keep his anger and disappointment in check. "What?! I thought you were a seer." Dean stressed the word seer, as though that title alone did not allow for Asaph to not be in-the-know about things. "You said yourself, that it's your job to tell people of 'what's to come'." Dean leaned forward and his hard, cold eyes caused Asaph to squirm in the chair. "So, tell me what's to come. Tell me what happens to Sam." Dean demanded.

Asaph looked towards the door, which led outside, as though praying that Sam soon returned and stopped the interrogation. Asaph could feel Dean's stare boring down on him and realized that it would be wise to answer Dean. "I can't, because of free will." He answered sheepishly.

"What?!" Dean sat back; but, he didn't ease the look he was aiming at Asaph. "What does free will have to do with this?"

Asaph sighed. It was true that he was a seer; but, his skills could only go so far. He knew enough to know how important Sam was to Dean and to know how strong the brotherly bond was. But, in the end, Asaph also knew that one decision could shatter that bond. Forcing himself to raise his eyes to meet Dean's, Asaph tried to answer Dean's question. "My ability is more general than it is specific." Asaph could see that Dean did not believe his answer. "When it comes to knowing what's to come, it's like I see the bigger painting and not the individual strokes that created it." Dean's stare had softened some, as he considered Asaph's statement. "I never know the specifics of what the demons are doing. I'll get an idea of what they're planning and a vague idea of how they may try to achieve that goal. But, I never know who's making the decision and who is taking which action. I simply know what the planned outcome is. It's the details, which evade me. With regards to Sam…" Asaph paused, as he weighed what he was about to say. "Sam can still decide what happens next. Sure the demons had plans for him and can still work him into their future plans. But, he has free will. Both sides are waiting to see what he decides to do. His future isn't set in stone and can easily go either way."

Dean's penetrating stare had turned into a lost stare over Asaph's shoulder. So, there was still time to keep Sam safe. Dean may not find himself having to kill Sam, in order to save him. And if that was the case, then why didn't Dean feel better about this? Asaph hadn't said that Sam would go bad and that Dean would have to kill his brother. But, with a heavy heart, Dean realized that Asaph also hadn't said that Dean wouldn't find himself in a position in which he would have to kill Sam. So, really, Dean wasn't any better off, than he had been, before they started this conversation.

Asaph watched Dean closely. Asaph wasn't totally surprised that Dean chose to hide his emotions. And although Dean's emotions weren't playing out across his face, Asaph figured that he knew what was going through Dean's mind. Asaph felt no guilt for not being able to answer Dean's questions. But, Asaph was sad that he could not provide Dean with any assurances, which would provide comfort for Dean. Dean played an important role, in the war; but, Sam's role was still in limbo. Both sides knew which side Dean was on. However, when it came to Sam, he seemed to be on the side of the angels. But, the demon blood and the special powers left room for Sam to be moved over to the demons' side.

Hearing the door being unlocked, both Dean and Asaph turned their attention towards the person entering the room.

/SN/

Balancing the coffees and the bag, which contained breakfast, Sam struggled to safely open the door. He was surprised to see two pairs of eyes looking at him. Sam could also feel that something had gone down, while he was out of the room. He wasn't sure what had happened; but, the mood seemed heavy and serious. Without a word, Dean stood up and helped Sam put the coffee and breakfast on the table. Asaph remained silent and simply watched the brothers.

Chapter 9

Days passed, and the three men remained at the hotel. The brothers took turns leaving their room for food and nothing more. Dean spent most of his time cleaning and re-cleaning his weapons. Sam spent his time on the computer. And, Asaph spent his time in meditation. For Dean, the time just seemed to drag on and on. He wanted to hit a bar and find some entertainment; but, knowing that the demons were after Asaph, he didn't want to leave Sam stuck protecting Asaph on his own.

On Thursday, the brothers sat down and worked on plans for Saturday. Asaph had made it clear that he was going to the Faire; so, the brothers had no choice but to go with him. Asaph had informed the brothers that he was only required to be at the exit, when the Faire was closing and to appear twice at the jousting area, once for a jousting match and again for the closing ceremony. For the rest of the day, Asaph was allowed to freely roam around the grounds and sing.

As the brothers made their plans, they further questioned Asaph about the previous demon attacks and tried to come up with some plan, which allowed them to keep an eye on Asaph without making it obvious that he was the one they were protecting.

"I am _not_ going to wear tights," Dean stated adamantly.

"Fine, call them 'hosen' then," Sam tried to appease his brother.

"That's not any better," Dean huffed.

"Well, men do also wear breeches," Sam continued, as he read out loud the list of Renaissance costumes, which he had found on the internet.

"Dude, _you_ are more than welcome to go in drag, Elizabethan or whatever it's called, if you want. But, _I_ am going to wear my own clothes."

Asaph had been sitting off to the side and was listening and watching the brothers. Quietly, he spoke up. "The men sometimes wear pants, such as knicker pants, Locksley pants, harem…"

Dean whirled around and pointed a finger at Asaph. "You… just go back to meditation, sleeping, or whatever it was you were doing. We didn't ask for your opinion."

As Dean's attention turned back to Sam, a small smile appeared on Asaph's face. He had only spent a few days with the brothers; but, he had grown fond of them. Sure, he knew about them, before he had met them. But, the recent few days, had allowed him to know them better. They were no longer simply subjects used in his lyrics. He now knew their faces and their personalities. He had come to know them as people and not just the names he had sung about. He had lost his objectivity, when it came to these brothers. From now on, whenever he sung about them, he would picture the brothers in his head and would care about what happened to them. So many of his songs were about things that he would never witness and involved people, who he had never met and would never meet. In the past, he had never truly appreciated the distance and objectivity that he had had while singing his songs. For so long, he had simply sung what he had foreseen and never personally knew any of the people, which his songs addressed. He had been emotionally unattached to his work. Yes, he understood the role he played and the significance of what he did. But, he had never had a single human face to put with his work. Other than knowing his guardians, Asaph had never known any of the people who he sung about, until now. Now, as he watched the two brothers discuss their disguises, he had faces to go with some of his songs. He had some personal connection to who he was singing about. And that scared Asaph. To a certain extent, he had been the one telling people what to do and where to go, without really caring or thinking about their safety. He had been objective, calculating, and to the point. It had been as though he had simply helped move pawns around a chess board.

But now… now, he cared about what happened to the pawns. He would begin to wonder what the personalities were of those pawns and what type of people they had been. Had those people, who he had sung about and sung to, been like the Winchester brothers? Had those people joked with one another, as they prepared to take on the demons?

Asaph watched the brothers, as Sam pointed to something on the computer screen and Dean vehemently shook his head no. Just days ago, Asaph had been singing about the brothers, without ever taking time to think about who they really were. Now, he prayed that they remained united, despite the demon blood. Dean had asked about Sam's future and Asaph had been honest with his answer. Now, as he contemplated what types of visions he may have in the future, he hoped that his visions showed the brothers successfully fighting side by side. He didn't view one brother as being more important than the other. He saw them as a team and as two people, who each had a significant role to play in the war.

/SN/

Sam continued to look through the sites and tried to find appropriate attire for the Faire. He had seen a wide range of outfits, from peasant costumes, to executioners, to kings and everything in between. He and Dean had discussed with Asaph what employees wore at the Faire. Sam had been surprised to learn that even guests, to the Faire, some times wore Renaissance outfits. The very idea that some one would willingly wear that sort of outfit and not get paid for wearing it had been absurd to Dean. However, Sam had seen it as a chance for the brothers to stroll around the Faire without drawing too much attention to themselves. For a while, Dean had put up with the brotherly ribbing Sam had given him, as he read out loud the things that men wore to cover their legs. Finally, Dean made it clear that he had had enough of the jokes, by simply pointing to a jester's outfit and suggesting that Sam wear that to the Faire. Sam had taken the hint and got more serious with his search.

"Maybe, we need to re-think our plan." Dean suggested.

"You're just trying to get out of wearing a costume," Sam pointed out.

Dean merely shrugged, as he continued. "Two non-employees dressed up in costumes following Asaph around might draw some suspicion. I'm thinking that I should look like most any other Faire-goer, while you blend in more with the Faire employees." Dean suggested. The brothers had already spoken to Asaph about becoming employees at the Faire and had ruled it out. He made it clear that employees were usually assigned to certain parts of the Faire and had specific roles they played. This would not allow either of the brothers to freely move around the Faire and remain close to Asaph. As a result, they had been working on some way to be at the Faire, without drawing too much attention to themselves.

"That might work better," Asaph voiced. Turning to Sam, he continued, "Most Faire-goers will think that the person in costume is an employee and will probably be asking them for directions and stuff like that. If two people, who don't work there and are in costume, are seen everywhere I go, some one is bound to notice. Plus, with one of you in costume and the other in street clothes, no one will suspect that you two are actually working together.

"See. My thoughts, exactly." Dean stated, as he pointed from Asaph to Sam. "No reason for both of us to make fools of ourselves."

"So, why do I get the feeling that I'm the one stuck in a costume?' Sam asked.

"Easy. Those long legs of yours will probably look way better in a pair of tights, than mine ever would." Dean simply stated.


	4. A day in the life of

Chapter 10

Saturday morning, the brothers arrived at the Faire with Asaph. Sam had had his costume shipped overnight, so he had it in time. Asaph had told him that costumes could be rented at the Faire. But, Sam wanted to hide some weapons in his costume and needed time to see what he could easily conceal within the outfit. Upon arriving at the Faire, Sam and Asaph entered through the employee's entrance. Although Sam wasn't an employee, no one questioned him, since he was in costume and with Asaph. Dean was left to wait for the Faire to open. The Faire's employees arrived early to prepare things, before opening to the public. So, with time on his hands, Dean wondered around the outside of the Faire area. He was not expecting to find anything. But since he couldn't enter the Faire yet, it didn't hurt to take a look around and be a little extra vigilant.

Just like the previous Faire sites, the Faire was currently being held on unused farmland. With the exception of a house and barn, there were no other buildings within a mile radius of the site. As Dean walked around, he took in several deep breaths and noticed the smell of fallen leaves and the crisp autumn air. He saw that the land had once been used for farming and most trees, which he saw, appeared to be no older than ten years. The "parking lot" for the Faire's visitors was simply an empty field, which had been defined by ropes that were tied to various trash cans. The Faire itself had been placed in an area of the land that had several trees and a small pond. Dean assumed that the area had been chosen so that the trees could offer some shade to the visitors and helped to partition off areas of the Faire. After checking his watch, Dean saw that the Faire was about to open to visitors and headed over to the main entrance.

/SN/

As Asaph tuned his instrument, Sam sat next to him and looked around. Sam watched as the Faire employees busily worked to prepare the Faire for business. It was obvious that the people knew what needed to be done and had already fallen into their routine. Hearing Asaph beginning to hum a tune, Sam turned his attention to the seer.

"What is that instrument called?" Sam asked, as he looked at the wooden box, which had strings strung on it.

"A psaltery," Asaph replied. He plucked a few strings and looked up at Sam. To Sam, the created sound reminded him of a toy piano. "This type of instrument has been around for centuries. It can come in a variety of shapes and few ever sound alike. Each one has its own sound."

When the brothers had first met Asaph, he had been playing the psaltery. At the time neither brother had questioned the man about the instrument. Even at the hotel, neither Sam nor Dean had enquired about the instrument Asaph played. Sam knew that Dean could care less about the thing and probably saw it as just being part of the man's costume. However, Sam had watched Asaph tune the instrument and realized that it was more than part of the costume.

"Where did you learn to play it?" Sam asked.

Asaph got a distant look in his eyes, as though he was reliving the moment. "I had just turned thirteen. My uncle was staying with us for the summer and pulled this thing out of a box. I was busy spending time with my friends and playing sports. But, when my uncle started playing it one night, I just seemed to get caught up in the music that came out of it. It was weird. When my uncle asked me if I wanted to try it and after my fingers plucked a few strings, I just knew that I was going to be playing it for many years to come. My uncle spent that summer teaching me how to play. My friends laughed at me and made fun of me and the instrument. But, that didn't deter me. I was quick to pick up how to play and how to take care of it." Asaph paused, before he continued. "The summer was almost over and my uncle was getting ready to leave in a few days. I was sitting on the back porch playing the psaltery and I saw something. What I saw scared me and made me go cold. The next day, my parents died in a car accident, just like the one I had seen in my vision."

Sam's eyes softened. Sam knew what it was like to have visions and to witness something horrible happen.

"I was a mess. A couple days after the funeral, I told my uncle what I had seen. I was so certain that he would think I was crazy." Asaph met Sam's eyes, before he continued. "But, he didn't. Instead, he told me he was wondering when my talent would surface. Talent?!" Asaph scoffed. "I saw it more as a curse. I didn't have any other living relatives, so my uncle got custody of me. He spent the next few years taking me around the country and encouraging me to hone my talent. At first, I don't know who I hated more him or myself. I saw my parents die, in the vision, and never forewarned them. And one day, my uncle even admitted to knowing that my parents were to die and didn't do anything to stop them. In time, I realized that some times things are just meant to happen and can't be stopped. But, that isn't always the case. There are times, when we can stop something from happening." Asaph paused again, as he relived moments from his past. "I had a vision of my uncle's death. I even told him of what was to happen. He smiled and told me to remember what he had taught me. He _knew_ he was going to die and just smiled." Asaph said heatedly.

Asaph lowered his head and continued with a softer tone. "My uncle's vision must have shown him more than mine had. My vision didn't show him saving my life. But, that's what happened. A demon had possessed a man and then tried to kill me. My uncle got between me and the possessed man and used his body to stop the knife that had been thrown at me. Right before my uncle died, he said some words, which expelled the demon. After the funeral, I was getting ready to dispose of my uncle's things and found a letter that was addressed to me." Asaph grew quiet, as though he was reading the letter all over again. "In it, he said that he knew how he was to die. But, he also told me what I was to do. He told me about the war with the demons and what my role would be. The thing is he didn't know when the war would really pick up. He just knew that it was coming and I would be a part of it. So for several years, I worked on honing my skills, both with the visions and with the psaltery. Finally, I had a vision about a gate to hell being opened and how I needed to warn people of what was to come. So, here I am," Asaph gestured at the Faire around them. "Playing my psaltery and telling people of my visions."

For a moment, Sam sat quietly. He had only asked about where Asaph had learned to play the instrument and had landed up learning how Asaph had come to be at the Faire. A simple question had resulted in far more information than Sam had expected. But, Sam found some comfort in learning that he and his brother weren't the only ones who didn't get to have a 'normal' life.

Chapter 11

Sam was to spend his day following Asaph around the Faire. Dean's job was to arrive at Asaph's destinations before Asaph and Sam did. Dean would scope out the area and be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Sam's job would be to tag along with Asaph and be on the lookout for any one following the seer.

After just a short time of following Asaph around, Sam could see how well every one knew the man. Many of the Faire's employees greeted Asaph and engaged in idle talk with him. Even while talking among themselves and out of earshot of the Faire's visitors, Sam was surprised that the employees still spoke Elizabethan to each other. A few people addressed Sam and showed some disappointment when he did not use the Elizabethan dialect. Luckily, Asaph was quick to excuse Sam's speech and explained that Sam was Asaph's nephew and was there to see how the Faire worked. Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, Sam paid attention to how the employees spoke and attempted to pick up some of the lingo. Since he was in costume, Sam realized that the employees felt he should not only look the part but also speak the part.

As Sam and Asaph left a group of employees and headed over to the first location that Asaph was to perform at, Sam asked him a question. "Do any of these employees pay attention to what you say in your songs? Don't they wonder why you sing about a demon war?"

Since Asaph was leading the way, he looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "Elizabethan songs tend to be about affairs, drinking, and merriment of various sorts. But, some of them do talk about death and fighting. I use Elizabethan phrases and words in my songs; so, as far as most employees know, I'm simply using some artistic freedom with what I tell in my songs. For the most part, my songs aren't for the employees; but, they're for the fighters in the war. My intended audience doesn't need a secret decoder ring to figure out what I'm telling them. Even with the Elizabethan language, they know what I'm telling them and know what they need to do. But since I present my knowledge out in public and don't try hard to hide what I'm doing, no one suspects what I'm really up to. Plus, my songs frequently change, as my visions present new scenarios and I have new information to pass along. Even if an employee was paying close attention to what I was saying, my songs' lyrics frequently change and they would just think that I prefer to sing about war. On occasion, I do sing about affairs and merriment; so, it's not as though I only sing of bloodshed and death. I have enough variety to not draw too much attention to myself."

"If that's the case, then how do the demons manage to get close to killing you?"

Asaph stopped and turned to look at Sam. "You think our side is the only side that has the ability to have visions?" Sam didn't have to reply, since his face made it clear he knew what the answer was. "I don't think they've seen my face, in their visions. Otherwise, I'm sure that I would have been dead by now. I think they just know that some one at the Faire is passing along information and through the process of elimination, they're trying to figure out who that is."

"The people who were killed… you said they were your guardians?"

"I stretched the truth a bit." Asaph confessed. "It's not as though all of them were assigned to protect me and were told to keep me alive. Like I said, some of them were just employees, who saw a fellow co-worker in trouble and stepped in to help. Others were told to keep an eye on me and to stop any one who looked like trouble. Others were told to act as decoys and to give others the impression, that they were responsible for passing along instructions. We're at war and there are times, where not every one is told the full truth and are only told what they need to know, in order to do their job. There really are times where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing."

"Does that apply to you too?" Sam enquired. Sam felt that Asaph's statement applied to him and his brother. Their dad had held back information from his own sons and even died without telling them the full truth. And now, the angels seemed to be doing the same thing. Although a part of Sam wondered if the angels were simply reluctant to trust Sam, due to the demon blood.

"Yes. It applies to me too. Until today, I never met any one who was directly involved in the war. Sure, I sang about people all the time and gave clues as to who to be on the outlook for. But, I never met any one who was actively fighting in the war. I knew some of these guests were taking part in the war. But, I didn't know which faces actually belonged to one of those people, until I met you and your brother." Asaph watched Sam, as the meaning of his statement sunk in. "There were times where I didn't even know who was assigned to protect me. I knew some one was doing the job; but, I wasn't always given a face, not even in my visions. I guess you could say that I lived a bit of a sheltered life." Asaph turned and resumed walking to where he was to perform.

Sam's eyes narrowed as he grasped what Asaph had said. For being a seer, Sam was surprised by how little Asaph really knew. Sam had expected the man to be wiser and more aware of what was going on in the war and who the players were.

Chapter 12

Dean was already at the site of Asaph's first performance. A small laugh escaped Dean's mouth, as he watched his brother approach. Back at the motel, Dean had quickly taken a picture of Sam in his costume. Now, big brother felt obligated to snap one more picture of his younger sibling. Dean planned on sending the picture to Bobby, which was certain to put a smile on the older hunter's face. Hell, Bobby would probably get a good laugh from it. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself, Sam had decided to dress as a peasant. Although, Dean really wasn't sure how any one could ignore a six foot four man who was dressed up in Renaissance attire. Sam's outfit was rather simple and plain-looking. He wore a white, loose fitting shirt, which had an open collar. A plain suede vest was laced up the middle and had a sash to go around the waist. Loose-fitting brown pants went with the outfit and a pair of brown, suede boots, which laced on the side in two places, completed the costume. Dean silently admitted that Sam had done well finding an outfit that allowed him to blend in with the Faire's employees and one that allowed him to effectively hide some weapons. On many cases in the past, the brothers had been required to wear various outfits, in order to get people to talk to them and to gain access to various places. Although this was a far more extreme get-up, Dean gave credit to his brother for finding something that did the job and didn't make Sam look like a total fool.

Putting his camera phone away, Dean went back to assessing the crowd for any signs of trouble. Asaph had told the brothers that none of the attacks occurred while Asaph was performing; but, Dean didn't want to leave anything to chance. Giving Sam a subtle all-clear sign, Dean walked around the edge of the crowd, which was gathering to watch Asaph perform.

Throughout Asaph's performance, Dean watched the crowd. He realized that not only was he watching for any possible threat to Asaph. But, Dean was also trying to figure out who from the audience was listening for instructions from the songs. As the show wound down, Dean was disappointed that he had not determined who was there to learn about the war and who was there to be told what to be on the lookout for.

The day continued without any sign of trouble. As their time at the Faire neared an end for the day, Dean was glad that they would soon be heading back to the hotel. Dean figured that the novelty of being dressed up as a Renaissance man had worn off and that Sam was probably looking forward to getting into his own clothes. Asaph had one final performance, at the Faire's exit, before his day came to an end. Dean arrived at the exit, before Asaph, and stood off to the side, as though he was waiting for some one. As Asaph took his place, Dean saw some one dart behind a nearby stand. Due to the crowd, Dean was unable to get Sam's attention and tell his brother of the suspicious behavior. Stealthily, Dean left his position and walked towards the stand. After casting a quick glance over his shoulder, Dean quietly stepped behind the stand and saw no one. He knew that he had seen some one go behind the stand. When Dean had tried to get Sam's attention, had the person moved to somewhere else? Dean glanced down at the ground and looked for any signs of recent foot traffic. He found several sets of footprints; but, it was hard to tell which was the most recent and had only been made within the past minute. As Dean began to lift his head, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and then his world went black.

/SN/

Sam stepped off to the side, as Asaph began his last performance for the day. When Asaph and Sam had approached the exit, Sam had noticed Dean standing nearby. Now, with the large exiting crowd, Sam was unable to locate his brother. Many people were just walking by Asaph, as they left the Faire. Others stopped to listen to Asaph's song. Sam glanced around and saw nothing unusual. Just as he had done during Asaph's previous performances, Sam wondered which of the listeners were really listening to what the lyrics had to say and would be leaving the Faire to take part in the war against the demons.

Sam shifted his weight and adjusted his vest. Thankfully his costume wasn't uncomfortable; but having to wear it all day had been interesting. Sam had been approached numerous times by visitors, who assumed that Sam worked at the Faire. For the most part, the visitors had only been asking for directions. After receiving several requests for directions, Sam had managed to memorize the map for the Faire and was able to give directions without referring to the map. A few people had asked to have their picture taken with Sam, since they planned on showing their friends memories from their visit to the Faire. Sam had obliged, since he didn't want to appear rude by saying no to the requests.

Throughout the day, Sam had listened to Asaph sing. He had paid close attention to what Asaph said and what information Asaph was passing along through his lyrics. Most of the information had been vague and only very few specific details had been given. In fact, Sam felt that he and Dean had started many cases with more information, than that which Asaph had given in his songs. If what Sam had heard today was a true reflection of how much Asaph normally revealed in his songs, then Sam wondered why the demons saw Asaph as a threat.

Asaph finished his last song and with a slight nod of his head, told Sam that he was done for the day. Sam looked around the crowd for Dean and was surprised to not be able to find him. Had Dean realized that Asaph had finished and already gone to the Impala? Or, had something caught Dean's attention and he had gone to investigate it?


	5. Missing

Chapter 13

Dean awoke to a headache. As he tried to raise his right hand to his head, he felt resistance. In fact, he was unable to lift his hand at all. Dean's eye shot open and he looked around. He was strapped to a table by leather bindings on both wrists and both ankles. The bindings were tight and allowed for no mobility in his extremities. In addition to the bindings, Dean realized that a gag had been placed in his mouth and was held in place, by something that was wrapped around his head. The table, which he was on, was in a room that had wood walls and a dirt floor. The room looked like one that would be found in a shed or an old barn. Dean saw no lights in the room and realized that sunlight, which came through a dirt covered window, was all that illuminated his surroundings. Dean was uncertain on how long he had been unconscious. Based on how little light the sun provided, either it was close to sunrise or sunset. He again tested the bindings on his wrists and ankles and was disappointed when they gave no leeway.

Again, Dean looked around the poorly lit room for anything that might help him escape. The room had only one window and one door. The door was also made of wood and was shut. There was nothing on the walls. Due to the poor lighting, Dean could not tell much about the floor, except that it was dirt.

Using his tongue, Dean tried to remove the gag from his mouth. However, it was being held in place by something that had been tied tightly around his head. Dean tried to move his head around and loosen the gag's restraint. But, he had no success and grew frustrated with his failure. Out of frustration, Dean lashed around on the table for a short time. The only thing he succeeded in doing was causing irritation to his bound ankles and wrists.

How long had he been here? Where was he being held? Was Sam aware that he had been taken? Was Sam also bound on a table in another room? Were the people who grabbed Dean the same people who were after Asaph?

/SN/

Prior to Sam and Asaph entering the Faire, the brothers had discussed what they would do, after the Faire closed for the day. As they had already discussed, Asaph and Sam went to the Impala, after Asaph's last performance, where they expected to rejoin Dean. Sam was surprised when Dean was not at the Impala waiting for them. Pulling out his phone, Sam called Dean. The call went right to voice mail. Sam looked around the parking lot and saw no signs of his brother. Knowing that he was still responsible for Asaph's well-being, Sam had Asaph get into the Impala. Again, Sam tried to call his brother and grew concerned when the call went straight to voice mail.

"You're not going to be able to reach him," Asaph said from his place in the Impala.

Startled by Asaph's unexpected comment, Sam quickly turned and looked at the man. "What?"

"He can't answer his phone."

Sam quickly climbed into the Impala and looked at Asaph. "What do you mean? Did you have a vision? Did you see my brother? Is Dean ok?" Sam concern grew with each question. He knew he had to keep himself together; but, he had only been reunited with Dean for a few months and the thought of losing his brother again, was more than Sam could take.

"He's tied down. He can't… he can't…" Asaph shook his head in frustration.

"He can't what?" Sam demanded to know.

A discouraging sigh was released, before Asaph answered Sam. "My visions don't work like you think they do. I only get bits and pieces. Over time, I get a clearer picture. But, it takes time to get those pieces and I can't force it." Asaph met Sam's eyes and pleaded for Sam to understand.

"What?!" Sam asked perplexed. "How can you tell people what to do, when you can't see the whole picture? I thought your job was to tell people what the demons are planning. How do you do that, when all you have are pieces?"

Asaph gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "You don't always need to see the whole picture, in order to know what's going to happen. Some times all you need are some key pieces and the rest is just a given." Asaph's answer only seemed to anger Sam.

"So, what? People are going more on faith, when they listen to what you tell them? What if they interpret the information wrong and don't take the right action? What then?"

"Sam, you have to understand this is a war and things aren't always black and white. Some times all you have is faith and the belief that you're doing the right thing. Things can change so quickly and unexpectedly during a war, that it's not always easy to know whose winning. You just have to pray that what you're doing is enough to win the war."

"So, if all this comes down to faith and the hope that some one is doing the right thing, then what is your role in all this? Obviously your visions aren't as clear cut, as you led us to believe."

Asaph lowered his eyes and was unable to maintain eye contact with Sam. "My visions give guidance. They tell people where to look for the demon's next attack and give them clues as to what the demons are planning. That's all my visions do. Sure, I don't know everything that's going to happen and don't have all the details for the demons' plans. But, I get enough hints, from my visions, to have a decent idea as to what's being planned and that is enough for others to go on and to stop the demons from carrying out their plans."

Sam tried to digest what Asaph was telling him. Sam's visions had given him enough to go on, in the past, to know where they needed to be and what was about to happen. Did this mean that Asaph's visions were similar to what Sam had experienced? Or, did it mean that Asaph's visions were not as clear as Sam's had once been? Did this mean that Asaph's visions wouldn't be able to help Sam find Dean?

Chapter 14

Deciding that they needed time to regroup and think, Sam and Asaph returned to the motel. Sam was fairly certain that whatever had happened to Dean, had taken place at the Faire. But, where? Had Dean been near the exit? Had Dean seen something in the parking lot and had left the Faire to investigate? Had Dean gone back into the Faire's main area? Sam was uncertain as to where Dean may have gone and what had caused Dean to be unable to meet them at the Impala. Asaph had only been able to tell Sam that Dean was literally tied up. However, Asaph's visions failed to show where Dean was being held, if Dean was injured, and who had grabbed Dean. Sam knew that he needed to go back to the Faire to find Dean. But, he also knew that he couldn't let Asaph accompany him.

Sam checked all the windows and doors and confirmed that the salt lines were intact. He then pulled out a gun and gave it to Asaph.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Sam didn't want to leave Asaph alone and unarmed.

"Yes. But, I won't use it."

"What?" Sam was puzzled by Asaph's comment. "Why not? You need to be able to protect yourself."

"I'm not a warrior." Asaph calmly replied. "My job is to tell people what I see in my visions. My job isn't to inflict harm on others, not even in an attempt to defend myself." Asaph slowly shook his head and tried to hand the gun back to Sam. "That's why guardians are assigned to protect me. It's their job to take physical action and to do whatever is necessary to keep me safe."

Sam's eyes went wide from Asaph's reply. "What are you saying?! You have every one else do the dirty work for you?! I understand you having reservations about possibly having to shot and maybe kill some one. But, I don't understand you not being willing to take any sort of action to defend yourself." Sam took a breath and calmed himself. "Look, I'm not telling you that you have to go up against the demons on your own. I'm just saying that if some one tries to come in here, while I'm gone, that you need to be able to defend yourself. I need to go back to the Faire and look for Dean. But, I can't take you with me. So, you have to stay here, by yourself. I don't think any one will try to get in here; but, it doesn't hurt to take a few precautions. Just keep the gun handy, in case you need it." Sam tried to reason with Asaph.

Since Sam wasn't accepting the gun, Asaph placed it on a nearby bed. "I won't use it, no matter what happens. If some one breaks in here, they can go ahead and take me or kill me on the spot. But, under no circumstance, am I going to shot and kill some one." Asaph said adamantly.

Sam could feel his ire building. He couldn't afford to waste time arguing with Asaph. Sam wasn't sure how much time Dean might have. For all Sam knew, Dean could have already been killed. No! He couldn't think like that. Dean had to be ok. Sam would find his brother in time.

/SN/

Dean had been awake for over half an hour. Since it was growing dark in the room, Dean knew that the day was turning into night. He assumed that it was still Saturday and that he had only been unconscious for an hour or two. While lying there, he had heard no noises, no sounds of any one being nearby. Dean was somewhat unnerved by the lack of interaction with any one. Why had he been bound and then left alone? Who had grabbed him and why had they left him tied to a table? Obviously, they didn't want to kill him, since they could have already done so. But, why just leave him alone, tied to a table? It made no sense. Unless… was this some sort of trap? Had Dean been grabbed in order to draw Sam and Asaph into a trap? Was Dean simply being used as bait? It made sense. Otherwise, why else would he have been left uninjured and tied to a table?

Dean's attention turned towards the door, as he heard noise on the other side of it. He could also make out a faint glow of light, coming from under the door. Dean saw the door open and braced himself for whoever was coming in.

A tall man entered the room and carried a lantern. He was about Dean's height and was rather large. Due to the loose coat he wore, Dean was unable to tell if the man's size was due to muscles or fat. Wordlessly, the man looked Dean in the face and then placed the lantern on the floor next to the door.

"I see you're awake." The man said, as he stood back up.

Dean remained silent and watched every move the man made. He was judging the man and tried to calculate what the man would do next.

The man walked around the table and checked the bindings, which held Dean in place. Noticing where the bindings had irritated Dean's skin, a small smile appeared on the man's face.

"I see you've been a little active. Did you really think that you could have slipped out of these?" The man taunted Dean. "The great Dean Winchester with nothing to say."

Dean held himself in check and hid his surprise at the man knowing his name. Dean didn't recognize the guy and wondered how he knew Dean's identity.

"I was told to send you regards from down below. Apparently, you have some people, who want you to know that they haven't forgotten about you." The man said, with a wicked smile on his face. "I was told that you're into pain." As he spoke, the man pulled a large pocket knife out of a coat pocket.

Dean eyed the knife and then went back to looking the man in the eyes. Dean felt a chill run down his back. Perhaps, he had been too quick to think that he would remain uninjured. Dean wasn't too fond of what he saw in the man's eyes.

Chapter 15

Sam returned to the Faire alone. Asaph had been adamant about remaining unarmed. Still, Sam left a gun on the table, in case the seer changed his mind. Sam was uncomfortable with leaving Asaph behind; but, he knew that he had no other choice. As Sam neared the Faire, he planned his next move. Deciding that parking in the parking lot, which was close to the Faire and out in the open, was a bad idea, Sam decided that he would have to find somewhere else to park the Impala. He didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to his approach and decided to park the Impala out of sight. However, the Faire was on a large piece of old farmland and offered little in the way of places to hide. Sam spent several minutes driving around the Faire, in an attempt to find some concealed location to park the Impala. On a nearby farm, Sam found a bunch of trees, not far from the road, which could easily hide the Impala from sight. Sam pulled the car in between some trees and after parking the vehicle, he used some fallen branches to further conceal it.

Having already grabbed some weapons from the trunk and a flashlight, Sam headed off towards the Faire. When he came to an open field, Sam shut off the light and proceeded in the moonlight. Thankfully, the sky was free from clouds and the moon was close to being full. There was enough light for Sam to see his way through the open field. Sam came upon the Faire, close to a loading entrance. With skilled hands, Sam expertly picked the lock on the gate and entered the Faire. Having already spent many hours at the Faire, Sam was familiar with the layout and knew where he was. He was in an area that was free from trees and would allow Sam to continue to investigate without the aid of his flashlight. However, Sam knew that, when he got further into the Faire, he would encounter trees and would need his flashlight to help guide him.

/SN/

Deciding that he had done enough for now, the man closed his pocket knife and returned it to its place in his coat pocket. He looked down at Dean, who had his eyes closed and was bleeding from several areas. Dean's captor had more plans for Dean; but, decided not to reveal all his plans just yet. He had enjoyed watching Dean's reaction to the knife breaking through Dean's skin and drawing blood. His pleasure increased as Dean pulled against his restraints, in an unsuccessful attempt to escape from the knife's blade. Wordlessly, the man turned and headed towards the door. As he exited the room, he grabbed the lantern and closed the door behind him, leaving Dean in the dark and alone in the room.

Dean moaned around the gag. Even with his eyes closed, Dean knew that the room had gone dark and he heard the door being closed. Opening his eyes, Dean looked around and was unable to see anything. Dean looked at the dirt covered window and could see a soft glow outside. The moon was out; but, the grime on the window did not allow the moonlight to illuminate the room. Half heartedly, Dean pulled against his restraints and was not surprised when they still did not give. With a downtrodden sigh, Dean relaxed some and closed his eyes.

Dean was back in hell and on a rack. He was surrounded by a heat that was beyond words. The heat was so strong that Dean's blood was brought to a boil and it felt as though his own bones were being cooked within his body. Dean's body was full of pain and suffering. His body and soul had been tortured in ways too numerous to count. Dean kept his eyes closed, since he knew that if he opened them that he would see his blood everywhere and would see parts of his skin, which had been peeled off his body, lying on the ground. Dean's walls, which had protected him in the past from so much, had crumbled and left him exposed to everything the demons did to him. He was no longer able to mentally shield himself from the torment inflicted on him by the demons.

Dean's eyes flew open, in an attempt to escape those memories. However, the dark room offered no escape. Just like the dark, which his closed eyes provided, gave those memories a place to show themselves, so did the darkness in the room offer the same opportunity for those memories to play out. As though he was watching a movie in a dark movie theater, Dean's memories played out one after another. The pain, which Dean's captor had recently inflicted, only added to making those memories more substantial and real.

Dean's captor had shown skill with how he had used his knife and inflicted pain upon Dean. The knife had not gone too deep. But, it had gone deep enough to draw blood and cause persistent, nagging pain. It was as though he was covered with multiple deep paper cuts, the kind of cuts that worsened every time you moved or bumped the area. The kind of cuts, which reminded Dean of how the skin-peeling cuts had started in hell. Dean's captor was experienced and had shown skill and restraint in how he had used his knife on Dean. Dean knew that had the man turned the knife just a little and pulled just a bit, that the man could easily have skinned Dean.

No, Dean's captor had treated Dean in a purposeful manner. The tormentor had known exactly what he was doing and how to do it properly without wasting a stroke or turn of his wrist. His movements had been calculated and precise.

Dean struggled to get his fear and pain under control. He feared that his tormentor would return soon and would be more aggressive with his techniques. Due to the pain, Dean's mind was cloudy and he was finding it hard to think clearly. Between the recent torture and the memories of his time in hell, Dean felt overwhelmed and struggled to regain some semblance of control over himself.


	6. In search of

Chapter 16

Sam slowly went from one stand to the next. Asaph had been unable to see where Dean was being held. But, Sam's gut told him that Dean was still at the Faire. Sam prayed that he wasn't wrong and that he wasn't wasting precious time looking in the wrong place. After over an hour of searching stands, which were out in the open, Sam neared the stands, which were sheltered by trees and thereby were not illuminated by the moonlight.

Cautiously, Sam looked around and confirmed that no one was within sight. Right before entering the first, sheltered stand, Sam turned on the flashlight. Just as he had done with the previous stands, which he had inspected, Sam had to pick a lock, before being able to enter the stand. Sam didn't have to enter too far into the stand, to see that it was empty. The majority of the Faire's stands where small in size. Sam only had to take a step into a stand and shine his flashlight around, in order to look for some sign of Dean.

As Sam went from stand to stand, he paid close attention to his surroundings. He listened for any sign of life and was on the lookout for any movement. After searching three quarters of the Faire, without any success, Sam felt a headache coming on. He was concentrating so hard and was straining his eyes, in order to look for anything in the shadows. Sam limited where he shone his flashlight, for fear that the light might catch some one's attention. As a result, there were shadows all around him and those shadows taunted him and made him feel as though he was constantly being watched. He was fairly certain that he was alone at the Faire; but still, the endless shadows seemed to hold the potential for an unseen observer.

Sam neared the last of the Faire's stands. He could feel his heart rate increase, in anticipation of finding his brother. Sam felt that Dean had to be in one of the remaining stands. Where else could Dean be? Had Sam been wrong about where Dean had been taken? If Dean wasn't at the Faire, where else could he be? Sam had already thoroughly checked the jousting area, the King's theater, and the fortune teller's stand and had seen no signs of struggle and no signs of a body. Asaph had mentioned that, in the past, a spell had hid the dead bodies until the Faire had moved on to its next location. Was a spell hiding Dean from Sam? Had Sam already been in the vicinity of Dean and failed to see his brother?

No! Sam forcefully shook his head. The spells had only hid dead bodies and Dean was still alive. Dean _had_ to still be alive. Sam couldn't accept the idea of Dean being dead. With renewed effort, Sam continued to search the remaining stands.

/SN/

Dean tried to calm himself and ignore his memories of hell, which were persistently coming to mind. His tormentor had not only done a good job of causing Dean physical pain and to cause Dean's blood to flow; but, the man had also done a good job of insuring that memories of hell were brought to the surface and were all that Dean could think about.

Dean was able to block out the restraints that bound him to the table. However, he was unable to find a position, which gave him relief from the numerous cuts he had endured. As he shifted his position, it would lessen the pain in some areas and increase the pain in other areas. Even the simple act of breathing created its own symphony of pain. Dean's tormentor had been very precise on where he cut Dean and had insured that any movement on Dean's part would cause pain. There were few places on Dean's body that hadn't endured at least one encounter with the man's large pocket knife.

Slowly, Dean turned his head and looked at the window. How much time had passed, since his tormentor had left he room? Would the man be returning again during the night to continue what he had started? Where was Sam? Had his tormentor stopped working on Dean, in order to be able to spend some time working on Sam? Dean felt some anger build within him, due to his concern for his brother. But, that anger wasn't as heated, as it had once been, before Dean went to hell. Before hell, any threat to Sam would cause a fierce anger to build within Dean. An anger that would burn so hot and be so intense that Dean struggled to keep it under control. But since returning from hell, Dean's anger was more muted and far less intense. It was as though hell's fire had burned up the anger that Dean had carried for so long. Dean had returned from hell a changed man. And it wasn't just memories of hell that affected Dean. The core of who Dean was had been altered. It wasn't completely changed. But, parts of him had become subdued and his view of some things had been changed. Since returning from hell, there were times, when Dean looked in the mirror, that he had a hard time recognizing the man that was looking back at him. Understandably, hell will change a man. And Dean was now trying to come to terms with the man he had now become.

/SN/

Sam finished searching the last stand and was disappointed to have not found his brother. He had been so certain that Dean was being held at the Faire. Now, Sam began to wonder where his brother had been taken to. Asaph had told Sam that all the attacks, which had resulted in Asaph's guardians being killed, had taken place at the Faire. So, why hadn't Sam found Dean? Was Dean's disappearance not related to their assignment to protect Asaph? Had Dean gone missing for some other reason? Was something else going on that Sam wasn't aware of? And if something else was going on, then when or how could Sam find out about it?

Chapter 17

Disheartened with not finding his brother, Sam turned to head back towards the loading entrance that he had used to enter the Faire. As he began to head out of the Faire, he recalled earlier seeing an old house and barn not far from the Faire's parking lot. Sam paused for a moment and debated what his next step would be. Should he get back to the Impala and return to the motel? Or, should he go and investigate the house and barn? Well… he was already at the Faire. It would just take a few more minutes to inspect those two buildings. And, John had taught the boys the importance of being thorough during a hunt. With his mind made up, Sam returned to the loading entrance, which he had used to enter the Faire. After exiting the Faire, Sam walked around the outskirts of the Faire and headed towards the two buildings. As he approached, he could not see any lights on within the structures.

Sam also did not see any vehicles near either of the buildings. Sam wondered if both structures were unoccupied. Deciding that the barn was the most likely of the two to be empty, Sam headed towards the barn first. Before entering the barn, Sam walked around the building. Since leaving the Faire, he had left his flashlight off, since he had been walking out in the open and the moonlight gave him enough light to see by. Plus, the area between the Faire and the two buildings was open and Sam knew that having his flashlight on would have easily drawn attention to himself. Sam walked around the barn and looked through the barn's couple windows. However, the interior of the barn was dark, and Sam was unable to see what might be inside. Sam approached a door on the barn, which was out of sight from the house. This door had a simple lock, which Sam expertly unlocked. Cautiously, he opened the door. For a second, he paused outside the door and listened for any sounds coming from inside the barn. Not hearing anything, Sam quietly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Since he knew that the barn only had a couple windows, Sam felt comfortable turning on his flashlight. The moonlight failed to illuminate the interior of the barn, and in order for Sam to properly check it out, he needed his flashlight to light his way. After turning on the flashlight, Sam pointed it to the ground and slowly made his way around the barn. The barn wasn't totally open on the inside. A portion of it was open and allowed for storage of large farm equipment. However, the barn also had an area that contained several rooms. Not seeing anything unusual in the open area. Sam proceeded towards the rooms.

/SN/

Dean had finally gotten his memories under control and had managed to push them back into the far recesses of his mind. He knew his recollections of hell would resurface again at some point. But for now, he was freed from the memories and could focus on his situation. Taking a slow, deep breath, Dean tried to assess his physical condition. Doing his best to see beyond the pain, Dean attempted to determine how serious his injuries were. He knew he had blood loss and numerous lacerations. However, he tried to determine how bad those lacerations were and how much blood loss he had suffered. While reluctant to recall the recent torture he had experienced, Dean knew that he needed to try and recall how severe the torture had been. Due to the bindings, Dean had been unable to move his extremities. He had only been able to lift his head a little off the table, while the man was cutting Dean. Due to the pain caused by the knife and the memories of hell which were dredged up by the torture, Dean realized that he really hadn't paid much attention to what the man had done to him. Only a couple times had Dean lifted his head to see what the man was doing. For the most part, Dean had kept his head on the table and frequently kept his eyes closed in an effort to block out what he was experiencing. Dean focused on the few glimpses he had taken of the man and the injuries that man had inflicted on Dean. As Dean tried to recall little details, he realized that he had never really gotten a good look at of his injuries. Dean's tormentor had kept the lantern on the floor, next to the door; and its light had simply cast more shadows over Dean's body and had failed to illuminate Dean's injuries. The lantern, at no point, ever shone enough light on Dean to allow him to visually see the extent of his injuries.

Dean knew he had lost some blood. However, he was uncertain about how much blood loss he had had. He felt somewhat weak and was having a hard time concentrating. But, he knew that blood loss might not be the only reason he was feeling this way. The pain caused by the torture and the memories of hell could also account for how he was feeling. As he lay there trying to evaluate his situation, Dean was beginning to feel more and more tired. Lying in the dark was making it harder to stay awake and focused. The pain, blood loss, torture, and memories could easily account for Dean's exhaustion. Also, Dean had been up since seven in the morning and his tiredness could also simply be the result of a long day. Dean felt his eyes closing again and struggled to keep them open. The last thing he wanted to do was fall asleep. If the man returned to the room, Dean wanted to know about it and did not want to be awakened by his torturer. At times, Dean had used pain as a way to keep himself awake. Now however, the constant pain seemed to only act as a reminder for what he had been through and seemed to slowly eat away his ability to remain awake. A little voice inside his head pleaded the case for a simple, short nap. That voice easily counted off how just a little bit of sleep would help Dean to feel better and would help restore his energy levels. However, Dean also knew that his "short nap" could easily turn into a long nap, since he had no way to wake himself up after just a few minutes. Plus, what if his tormentor returned while Dean was napping? Dean didn't want to risk lowering his guard.

As he lay there debating with himself the value of sleep, Dean heard a noise coming from outside the door. Dean held his breath and lifted his head off the table. Again, he was able to see the faint glow of light coming under the door. Dean put his head back down on the table and thought about what to do next. His situation hadn't improved any. He was still bound to the table and gagged. Reluctantly admitting to himself that glaring at his tormentor, as he entered the room, would probably not benefit Dean in any way, Dean closed his eyes and decided to act as though he had passed out. Perhaps, his tormentor would only want to torment Dean, if Dean was awake. By appearing to be unconscious, Dean might be a less appealing target. Dean focused on his breathing and slowed it, to help make himself appear unconscious. Although he was giving the illusion of being unconscious, Dean was using his hearing to tell him what was going on. With his hearing, he was able to hear the door being opened and could tell that some one had entered the room.

Chapter 18

Sam froze at what he saw before him. Even with the flashlight pointed at the barn's floor, Sam was able to make out a body lying on the table in the room. Wordlessly, Sam slowly raised the flashlight up, in order to get a better look at the body. While raising the flashlight up, Sam prayed that it wasn't Dean. He didn't think that he could handle finding his brother on a table. Sure, he wanted to find his brother; but, not under these circumstances. Whoever lay there gave no sign of moving. As the flashlight's light fell upon the body, it illuminated something that caused Sam's breath to get caught in his throat and made his stomach feel like a ton of bricks had just been swallowed.

For a couple seconds, Sam stood in the doorway, with his hand on the doorknob and didn't move. He didn't even breathe. He couldn't breathe. It was as though there was no more air in the room and all that existed was his brother's bloody body. Memories of what the hell hounds had done to Dean, when they came to collect his soul, painfully came to mind. Sam didn't breathe. He didn't even move. He knew that if he moved, then that meant that what he saw before him was real. He couldn't see beyond Dean's shed blood. Memories of Dean's hell hound shredded, bloody body superimposed with Dean's bloody body that lay on the table. Sam could feel his stomach contents working their way back up his throat. He could feel his hands go cold and his head becoming very light. From the doorway, Sam could smell the coppery smell of blood. Dean's blood. Sam's knees struggled to keep him upright. He knew what he had to do; but, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Physically, Sam struggled to get himself together and prepared himself for what would come next. Mentally and emotionally, Sam struggled to get himself together and prepared himself for what would come next. He didn't know which was harder, dealing with his physical reaction to the scene before him or dealing with the mental and emotional reaction to the scene before him. Either way, it took a great amount of effort and fortitude to finally let go of the doorknob and take a step towards the table.

/SN/

Dean strained his hearing, in an attempt to learn what was going on in the room. He fought the urge to open his eyes and maintained his shallow, sleep-like breathing. He was puzzled by the apparent lack of activity. Had the man simply opened the door and then left, with the door still open? Dean knew he had heard the door open and had not heard any signs of it being closed. Was the man simply standing in the doorway, waiting to see if Dean was faking being unconscious? Did the man already have his knife in hand and was trying to figure out where to cut Dean next?

The suspense was getting to Dean. Not knowing what was going on was becoming its own form of torture. Dean knew that all he had to do was open his eyes. But, he still felt that feigning unconsciousness was his best option, for now. Dean nearly jumped out of his skin, when there was a soft touch on his legs. Dean mentally berated himself for reacting to the touch. He hadn't expected the light, delicate touch. He had been prepared for feeling the knife cut through his skin. But, the touch was totally unexpected. Dean was trying so hard to understand why the touch had been gentle and not painful, and was working hard to get himself under control and ready for whatever came next, that he almost… _almost_ missed what was spoken.

/SN/

"Dean?" Sam asked quietly and disbelievingly. Dean's body had moved, when Sam touched it, right? Or, was that some wicked figment of Sam's imagination? Sam moved the light to shine on Dean's face and gagged mouth. He jumped a foot back and almost dropped the flashlight, when Dean's eyes opened and looked right at Sam.

/SN/

Dean knew he recognized the voice, which had said his name. It was Sam's voice. Could it be some kind of trick? Was his tormentor coming up with some new way of torturing Dean? No, it had to be Sam. The touch and the voice were Sam. Only one way to confirm it. Taking a quick breath and steeling himself for whatever might happen next; Dean opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.

Around the gag, a smile appeared on Dean's face, when he saw Sam. Dean's heart grew light and temporarily all his pain was forgotten, as he saw his brother standing there. Under any other circumstance, Dean would poke fun at Sam's reaction to Dean opening his eyes. But, not this time. This time, Dean was just happy to have his brother there and showing no signs of having undergone any torture himself. Dean wasn't ecstatic that he had been tortured; but, he was relieved to see that his brother appeared to be unharmed.

/SN/

Sam quickly collected himself and stepped closer to the table. He quickly shined the light around Dean's body. With much effort, Sam saw beyond the blood and injuries and noticed that his brother was bound to the table and gagged. After meeting Dean's eyes, Sam knew that the first line of business was removing the gag. Sam swiftly walked to the head of the table and quickly removed the gag. Sam watched as Dean coughed a few times and gulped in several deep breathes of air. Dean also licked his lips and swallowed several times.

/SN/

Dean was relieved that Sam removed the gag first. Its presence had not only been an annoyance but also a discomfort. Dean's lips were very dry and his throat felt like a desert. He wanted to talk; but, first he needed to wet his pipes a bit. He saw no bottle of water handy and hoped that saliva would be enough. After a couple swallows, Dean decided to try his voice.

"Sam, you alright?" Dean asked hoarsely. He was disappointed with how his voice sounded; but at least, he had been able to talk.

/SN/

Leave it to Dean to be more worried about Sam instead of himself. Sam was the one standing there uninjured and freely able to move around. His brother was the one strapped to a table and covered in numerous bloody cuts. Sam should have been the one asking Dean how he was; but instead, Dean was the one to pose the question to his younger sibling. This should have come as no surprise to Sam; but, it still amazed him how quick Dean was to worry about Sam's welfare, even when his own welfare was bad.

"Dean, I'm fine. Let me get you untied and we'll get out of here." Sam stated, as he began to loosen the bindings on Dean's right wrist.


	7. Recovery

Chapter 19

Together, the boys slowly made their way back to the Impala. Sam had made quick work of the bindings and had freed Dean in less than five minutes. Not surprisingly, that had been the easy part. The hard part had been getting Dean off the table. Being stubborn and bull-headed, Dean had insisted on getting up on his own and without any help from Sam. However, after a few unsuccessful attempts, Dean relented and accepted help from Sam. After coming to a sitting position and swinging his legs off the table, Dean was hit with a bad case of light-headedness. The room around him began to spin so quickly, that Dean felt a growing need to throw-up. He also found himself fighting the need to pass out. Dean wasn't sure if that feeling was brought on from the pain or the blood loss. Either way, Dean knew that he couldn't get sick and needed to stay awake. Sam had said that he hadn't seen any one. However, Sam hadn't had a chance to check out the house. And for all the brothers knew, Dean's tormenter could still be nearby. After taking a few shallow, cautious breathes, Dean stood up and placed an arm around Sam's shoulders. Dean's legs felt very weak and struggled to keep him upright. Dean reluctantly realized that he would not be able to make it back to the Impala, unless Sam helped him.

Sam remained readily at Dean's side. Sam was not surprised, when Dean was unable to independently sit up. Sam had noticed how much blood his brother had lost and was amazed that Dean could keep his eyes open. When Dean got off the table and placed his arm around Sam's shoulders, Sam knew that Dean was in bad shape. Sam knew how head-strong his brother could be and how, even when injured, Dean tended to persevere. But, for Dean to lean on Sam for support, Sam knew that his brother needed medical attention. However, Sam also knew that now was not the time to render medical aid to his brother. First, he needed to get his brother somewhere safe, and that place was far from the Faire's area.

As the brothers neared the Impala, Sam noticed that he was bearing more and more of Dean's weight. When they had exited the barn, Sam had shut off the flashlight, and the brothers were forced to rely on the moon to light the way. Since it was nighttime and the moon's light was limited with how much illumination it provided, Sam was very limited in how much he could assess his brother. However, despite the moon's limited light, Sam could tell that his brother was growing paler and paler.

"Dean?" Sam asked in a hushed voice. The brothers didn't know where Dean's tormentor had gone and Sam didn't want to make too much noise. Sam waited for a reply from his brother. After many seconds of silence, Sam asked again. "Dean? You still with me?"

Dean replied by weakly squeezing Sam's one shoulder. By now, Dean felt so weak and out of it, that he couldn't even grunt a reply. All of Dean's energy was focused on breathing, remaining awake, and keeping his legs under himself. Dean could feel himself becoming immensely weak and prayed that they were almost to the Impala. He knew that he couldn't stay awake much longer.

"We're almost there. Just a few more feet." Sam encouraged his brother. "I can easily see the Impala from here. It won't be long now, and you'll be sitting in your baby."

Dean was so exhausted and drained that even hearing mention of his beloved car, could not produce a smile on his face. He hoped that Sam wasn't lying to him about how close they were to the Impala. Because, if they had much further to go, Dean knew he would be passing out before they got to the car.

/SN/

Hidden in the shadow of a tree, an observer watched the brothers' slow and arduous walk away from the Faire. The witness assumed that they were headed to a vehicle; but from where the observer stood, no vehicle could be seen. An unseen smile of pleasure formed on the witness's face. It was obvious that Dean was struggling to keep himself from falling to the ground.

Instructions had been given to be on the lookout for Dean. Those same instructions had included details on what to do, should Dean be spotted. Those instructions had been strictly followed. Somewhat surprisingly, it had been made clear that Dean was not to be killed and if some one came looking for Dean, no resistance should be made against him being rescued. It had seemed odd that Dean's death had not been ordered. But, the executioner of those instructions knew that it was not his place to fully understand why there had been limitations on the torture. The instructions had been followed, and now was the time to await further instructions.

/SN/

Sam was able to make out the wooded area, in which he had hid the Impala. By now, Sam knew that he was bearing more than ninety percent of his brother's weight. He didn't mind helping his older brother. However, the lack of response and diminished ability to remain upright on his own had Sam worried about what type of shape Dean was in. Finally reaching the trees, which concealed the car, Sam was forced to make a hard decision. He needed to remove the branches, which helped to hide the car. However, Sam could not do so, while still keeping Dean on his feet. Spotting a nearby fallen tree, Sam directed Dean in its direction.

"Dean. I need to let you rest on this log a second; so, I can uncover the car." Sam got no response from his brother and wondered if Dean had even heard him. Gently lowering Dean onto the log, Sam slowly and cautiously let go of his brother. Sam wasn't surprised, when Dean began to lean over, instead of sitting on the log. With great concern, Sam allowed Dean to lie down. As soon as Sam felt certain that his brother wouldn't fall off the log, Sam released his hold on Dean and hurriedly went over to the Impala.

Chapter 20

As quickly as he could, Sam drove him and his brother to the hotel. Upon coming to a stop outside their room, Asaph came out and helped Sam get Dean into the room. Carefully, the two men placed Dean onto his bed. Asaph stepped back and watched Sam care for his brother.

Sam retrieved their first aid kit and promptly went to work on his brother. Dean's clothes were caked in blood and so, Sam's first decision was to get the shredded and blood soaked clothing off his brother. Dean's tormentor had not allowed the clothes to hinder his actions. He had simply cut through the clothes, which now clung to Dean's body. Sam cut off the clothes and as he gently worked to remove the material, Dean stirred.

"Dean, it'll be ok. I first have to get your clothes off, before I can clean your cuts." Sam softly said.

"Sssaammm?" Dean asked uncertainly. He tried to open his eyes; but, they just wouldn't open. He felt as though his body was bogged down in quicksand and every effort to move required more energy than he had.

"Yeah, Dean. I'm right here." Sam noticed Dean's failed attempts to open his eyes. "Just got to get you undressed here and then I'll get you cleaned up." As more of the clothing was removed, Sam got a better look at what had been done to Dean's body and prayed that his brother would pass out, before Sam started to render first aid.

"Youuu ooook?" Dean weakly asked and renewed his efforts to open his eyes and check on Sam. For a brief second, he was successful. However, all Dean saw before him was a fuzzy scene. He could not make sense of what he saw and didn't have the energy to keep his eyes open long enough for his vision to clear up. A hiss escaped his lips as something brushed against several of his cuts.

Sam flinched. "Sorry, Dean. I'm almost done getting your clothes off. Hope you weren't attached to your outfit, cause it's got to go in the trash."

Sam watched Dean grimace more, as the last of the cut up clothes was removed. Sam's breath caught in his throat, when he was finally able to see how many injuries his brother had received. When the bloody, shredded clothes had been on Dean, Sam was able to guess that his brother had been put through a wringer. However, now that the clothes were removed and Sam's view of Dean's injuries was no longer impeded, Sam realized that Dean had more likely been put through a shredder. The cuts that covered Dean's body were too numerous to count. The only areas that had been spared were Dean's feet and back. Sam assumed that Dean's tormentor had simply decided not to waste time removing Dean's shoes in order to get to his brother's feet and toes. Dean's back had been spared, probably due to the fact that Dean had been bound to the table.

Sam was forced to shut his eyes, as images of Dean's dead, hell-hound shredded body came to mind. While none of Dean's current injuries were as deep and jagged as those left by the hell-hounds, Sam's mind still could not ignore the fact that Dean had been seriously cut up and was covered in blood. Taking a deep breath, Sam forced the images out of his mind and forced himself to focus on what was currently in front of him.

Grabbing an old food container, Sam cleaned it out and filled it with water. Then, Sam grabbed a face cloth, towel, and a bar of soap. Sam knew that he needed to remove all the dried blood, in order to see the true extent of Dean's injuries. Gently sitting on the side of the bed, Sam focused on cleaning Dean's face and head first. Luckily, as Sam began to clean, he saw that Dean's head and face only had a few cuts. Although Sam worked as softly and tenderly as possible, Dean still grimaced when the face cloth came in contact with a cut or soapy water got into a cut.

By the time Sam finished cleaning Dean's face and head, Dean had lost consciousness. Sam was thankful that his brother would be oblivious to Sam cleaning the rest of his body. After changing the water numerous times and having to grab another bar of soap, Sam finally finished cleaning the dried blood off his brother's body. Sam happened to notice that the once white sheet was now red and knew that after he was done tending to the injuries that he would need to get some fresh linen for Dean to sleep on.

The entire time, Sam had cleaned Dean's body; Asaph had remained quietly standing off to the side. Sam had been aware of the man's presence; but, had not felt inclined to pay him any attention. As Sam prepared to stand up and take his cleaning supplies to the bathroom, Asaph came over and put out his hands for the supplies. Wordlessly, Sam handed them over and simply nodded his thanks. Then, Sam grabbed the first aid kit and began to apply medicine and bandages to the cuts.

/SN/

After helping to get Dean to bed, Asaph realized that Sam was going to care for his brother. Not wanting to be in the way, Asaph had stepped back and kept a respectful distance. Wordlessly, Asaph had watched the youngest brother caring for his older brother. Asaph saw the love and concern that Sam had for Dean.

As Asaph watched Sam care for his injured brother, Asaph began to wonder how many others, who were taking part in the demon war, had been in a similar position. How many of the people, who he had given instructions to, had landed up getting hurt or even killed? The seer's heart grew heavy, as he realized that he had never thought about that before. He had always simply voiced what he had seen in his visions and had never taken the time to think about the price that people may have paid, in order to stop the demons. Sure, Asaph knew that people died during a war and that people would die in their fight against the demons. But, Asaph had never felt any real emotions about those deaths... until now. Now, he felt connected to the Winchester brothers and felt awful for seeing the price Dean had paid for being assigned as Asaph's guardian. Sure, other guardians had died protecting the seer, in the past. But, he had never felt connected to them and had known that their sole job was to keep him alive, no matter what. But, that wasn't the case with the Winchesters. Their main job wasn't to protect Asaph. No, they had a large role to play in the war against the demons. Their assignment as Asaph's guardians was just temporary. And yet, Dean had paid a painful price for this temporary gig. It was obvious to Asaph that Sam too was paying a price. Although Sam hadn't been physically attacked, it was obvious that seeing his brother, in this condition, was taking an emotional toll on Sam.

/SN/

Sam finished putting away the few remaining supplies, into the medical kit, and closed it. He took a moment to watch his brother's slow, even breathing. Sam was done treating and dressing Dean's injuries. Now, Sam just needed to get his brother onto some clean sheets. Sam didn't want Dean to sleep on sheets, which were wet from the water, which Sam had used to clean his brother, and from blood. Before standing up, Sam became lost in thought. When he had found Dean, his brother had been covered in blood and was cut up bad. But after cleaning up the dried blood and assessing the full extent of the damage, Sam realized that Dean's injuries weren't as bad as Sam had initially feared. This wasn't to say that his brother would be fine after a good night's rest. No, Dean's tormentor had done enough damage to ensure that Dean would be in pain for quite a while. What caught Sam as being odd was the fact that none of the cuts had been life-threatening. Yes, there had been a lot of blood loss. But, it had only been enough to render his brother unconscious and not kill him. Dean's cuts had bled; but due to how shallow they had been, they had clotted within a short time. If Dean's tormentor had truly wanted Dean to die, he could have easily cut a little deeper and Dean would have bled to death, before Sam found him. But for whatever reason, the cuts had been precise and shallow. They had been made to inflict pain and suffering; but, none of them had been life-threatening. This had Sam puzzled. It wasn't as though Sam had arrived in time to stop Dean's captor. No, Dean's captor had purposefully stopped his actions, before Dean's death was assured. Had this been done on purpose? Had Dean's tormentor purposefully limited the severity of the cuts? Or, had some one or something interfered and stopped the torture from going too far?

Chapter 21

Before leaving for the Faire, Sam checked on Dean. Most of Sam's night had been spent tending to Dean's injuries. However, Sam did manage to get a couple hours of sleep, before it was time to leave for the Faire. Initially, Sam never intended to go to the Faire. But, Asaph was persistent about attending the Faire and re-stated why his absence would be unacceptable. After checking on Dean, Sam gave in to Asaph's demand and agreed to go to the Faire. Dean's blood loss was not life-threatening. It would, however, leave his brother weak and a bit lethargic for a while.

As Sam prepared to leave the hotel room, he wrote a quick note to Dean. He also ensured that salt lined the windows and doors. Sam placed several bottles of water and some bags of food, on the nightstand next to his brother's bed, and checked Dean's bandages one last time, to confirm that there was no fresh blood on them. Sam knew that Dean would be pissed that Sam had gone to the Faire without him; but, Sam knew that he really didn't have a choice.

/SN/

Sam and Asaph arrived at the Faire and entered through the employee entrance. Sam paid much closer attention to every one and everything around them. It wasn't that he had slacked off yesterday, with his alertness. Rather, his heightened awareness was due to the fact that some one or something had managed to temporarily take Dean out of the game and Sam had no idea how that had been possible. And now without Dean there to back him up, Sam knew that he was solely responsible for Asaph's safety.

In the past, Sam had been on his own. He knew what it was like to continue hunting without his brother there to have his back. The difference this time was that Dean was injured and not physically able to help Sam, at the moment. And although Sam knew he needed to look out for Asaph, he couldn't help but also think about his injured brother lying alone back at the hotel. Sam assumed that Dean had been targeted, since he had been trying to keep Asaph safe. But, Sam was beginning to wonder if that was really true. Dean had never regained consciousness long enough to tell Sam what had happened. Sam assumed that it was due to Asaph. But, what if Dean had found something else? What if there was another reason that Dean had been taken? The fact that Dean hadn't been killed and that his brother's injuries had been non-lethal caused Sam to wonder what else might be going on. Asaph hadn't had any more visions about Dean or his tormentor. Was that a good thing?

Sam struggled to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. He couldn't afford to let some mental distractions interfere with keeping Asaph safe. Sam forced himself to take a deep breath and purposefully pushed his concerns for Dean to the back of his mind. Dean would be safe at the hotel by himself… he had to be. Sam couldn't be in two places at once and right now, he had to be at the Faire. Sam had thought about calling Bobby; but, right before the brothers got to the Faire, Bobby had informed them that he would be out of touch for a while, due to a hunt.

/SN/

The maid pushed her cart along the hallway. She had just finished cleaning a room and was moving along to the next one. As she came upon the door to the room, she noticed a "do not disturb" sign hanging from the doorknob. She looked down and saw some white substance along the base of the door. She bent down to take a better look. As she reached out a hand to see what it was, she stopped. Quickly withdrawing her hand, before it came in contact with the white substance, she stood up. Looking over her shoulder she confirmed that no one had seen her actions. Taking one last look at the door, she grabbed her cart and nonchalantly moved down the hallway.

/SN/

On the alert for anything unusual, Sam remained close to Asaph, as the seer performed throughout the Faire. The Faire would be closing in two hours, and Sam eagerly looked forward to getting back to the hotel. He had tried to call Dean a few times and every time, Sam's call went to voice mail. Sam was somewhat concerned by the fact that Dean had neither answered the phone nor returned any of Sam's phone calls. However, after the torture that Dean had gone through and the resulting blood loss, Sam tried to ease his worries by telling himself that Dean was simply sleeping and getting the rest, which he needed to properly recover.

Sam's attention was drawn to a young man, who Sam recognized as having seen earlier in the day. The man appeared to be a guest and was taking several pictures of Asaph. In fact, earlier in the day, that same man had been taking a bunch of photos of Asaph and seemed to pay keen attention to Asaph's songs. Sam wanted to get closer to the man; but, that would mean putting too much distance between himself and Asaph. If Dean was here, Sam would have simply signaled Dean, and his older brother would have checked the guy out. The young hunter took a long look at the suspicious man and then returned his attention to the rest of the crowd. After Asaph finished his song, seer and hunter headed towards the jousting area.

"Asaph." Sam caught the performer's attention.

"Hmm." Asaph replied.

"Did you happen to see the young guy who was taking your picture and was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans? He was standing towards the back of the crowd.'

Asaph stopped walking and turned towards Sam. It was apparent that he was trying to recall the man who matched Sam's description. After a few seconds, he answered. "Not really."

"He was at one of your earlier performances and showed up again just now. He was taking a bunch of photos of you and was paying very close attention to your songs." Sam voiced his observation.

"Nothing odd about that." Asaph did not seem surprised by the attention he had received. "A lot of people take pictures, while they're at the Faire, and there's nothing wrong with some one listening to me sing. After all, that is why I carry this instrument with me and play it." Asaph lowered his voice and leaned in towards Sam. "Plus, for all we know, he could have come here to get instructions about the war."

Sam's eyes narrowed, as he considered Asaph's reply. Due to what had happened to Dean, Sam wasn't comfortable simply down-playing the possible threat that the young man might be. The hunter was uncomfortable with the amount of attention that the young man had given to the seer.

Seeing the concern on Sam's face, Asaph said, "Look. If you see him again, point him out to me. I'll let you know if I know him from anywhere."

Pleased that Asaph wasn't simply ignoring Sam's concern, Sam nodded his head in agreement.


	8. New players

Chapter 22

Finally, it was time for Asaph's last performance of the day. Sam stood off to the side; but, remained close enough that he could easily get to Asaph. Again, Sam kept a look out for anything unusual and was looking for the man, who he had seen twice earlier in the day.

/SN/

Dean weakly raised his right hand to his face, as he rolled onto his back. After rubbing his eyes, Dean lowered his hand back to the bed and looked up at the ceiling. For a couple minutes, he lay there and just listened. Not hearing the sound of any one in the room or in the bathroom, he slowly began to wonder where his brother was. Dean's mind was moving at the rate of a turtle and his body felt like it was full of lead. The torture had taken a toll on Dean physically and mentally. As Dean lay there struggling to stir up enough energy to think and to move around, his mind began to flash on his torment, both on the table and on the rack. Even with his eyes open, he flashed back and forth from the locked room in the barn to his time in hell and back again. Dean realized that his recent tormentor had purposefully harmed Dean, in a manner that would provoke memories of hell. He then recalled the smell of sulfur, which he had smelt, as he was tortured in the barn. At the time, Dean had been so caught up in what the man was doing to him, that he hadn't paid much attention to what he was smelling. After all, he wasn't fond of smelling blood, especially his own and understandably chose to ignore what his nose was telling him. But now, as he lay on the bed in the motel room, Dean began to recall certain details of his time, in the barn.

One of those details was the sulfur smell. Dean remembered smelling sulfur, when he and Sam had been wandering around the Faire. At the time, Dean had only caught a whiff of something and hadn't been able to pinpoint what it was, since it hadn't been very strong. But now, Dean realized that the odor had been sulfur. Dean tried hard to force his mind to think faster and tried to see what connections he might be able to make. However, his mind seemed to be stuck in neutral and couldn't be forced into any other gear. Dean was growing more frustrated. However, his frustration only seemed to exhaust him more, instead of inspiring him to take action.

Slowly, Dean turned his head and saw the bottles of water and bags of food, which lay on the nearby nightstand. His dry mouth and throat longed for the relief that a drink of water would provide. However, the rest of his body did not share that same desire and callously refused to ease his thirst. After much effort, Dean was finally able to raise his hand and reached out for the closest bottle of water. Weakly, his fingers grabbed it and he began to lift the bottle up. Unexpectedly, his fingers lost their grip and the bottle fell out of his hands. Who knew that a bottle of water could be so heavy?

Dean closed his eyes and took a breath. All he wanted was a drink of water; but, his body was too weak to even raise the bottle to his mouth. Taking several deep breaths, Dean tried to focus all his energy. In order to help speed up his recovery, he knew that he needed to get fluids and food into himself. However, the blood loss and pain induced weakness was making even the simple act of getting a drink of water almost impossible. Finally, with much effort, Dean managed to get the lid off the water bottle and brought the bottle to his lips. After a few tentative sips, Dean placed the bottle back on the nightstand.

Just that little bit of exertion, which was needed to get a drink, seemed to totally drain Dean of all his energy. His eyes slowly closed and remained closed. His eyelids had become too heavy for him to reopen. His breathing became shallow and he could feel himself being drawn back to sleep. A part of Dean's mind screamed for him to stay awake and stressed the importance of remaining aware of what was and wasn't going on around him. But, the rest of his mind and his entire body called for more sleep. And in the end, he gave in to the majorities need for sleep.

That small part of his mind, which tried to keep Dean awake, was aware of some one stopping outside the motel room door. That small part of his mind took notice of that some one staying outside the door for a short time, before moving on. Had Dean been awake, his hunter instincts would have kicked in and he would have checked it out. However, he wasn't awake and vulnerably remained asleep.

/SN/

Asaph began to sing his last two songs, of the day. He was aware of the fact that Sam was anxious and was concerned about the man, who he had seen at two of Asaph's previous performances. However, the seer knew that his guardian was also concerned about Dean. Asaph felt bad that he had to keep Sam from remaining at his brother's bedside; but, Asaph had a job to do. A job that did not allow him to remain stashed away in some motel room. The seer was only able to pass along the information, from his visions, at the Faire. And unlike other businesses, the Faire was only open on the weekends. This meant that the seer had only two out of the seven days of a week, to present his information. Since this left him only a small window of time for him to do his job, regretfully it meant that sacrifices had to be made. And today, Sam had to sacrifice being there for his brother, in order to provide security for Asaph.

Chapter 23

Asaph had finished his last performance of the day, during which Sam had not seen any signs, of the man who had caught his attention earlier in the day. Together, the two men walked to the Impala. As Sam got behind the wheel of the Impala, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was done babysitting Asaph, at the Faire, and could now get back to the hotel and check on Dean.

/SN/

The hotel room door opened and the young man, carrying a camera, entered the room.

"Well?" The older man, who was seated on a bed, asked. "Any luck?"

Sitting down at the chair, which was next to the room's only table, the young man prepared to connect his digital camera to the computer. "Got plenty of pics." The man answered promisingly. As the computer turned on, he looked over at his companion. "Pretty certain I saw Sam Winchester there." He said with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. "Although, he was dressed more for Halloween or ready to appear in a Shakespearean play, than he was for hunting."

The older man gave a small shake to his head. "Never underestimate the Winchesters." He corrected his young friend. "Just because you didn't see any weapons, doesn't mean that he wasn't armed. Those boys can be crafty with where they hide their weapons and where they place demon traps."

The young man gave a slight nod of his head. Turning back to the computer, he got ready to download the pictures, which he had taken. Without looking over his shoulder, he sensed the older man get up and stand behind him.

"Six months, we've been following this Faire and still we haven't got him. I don't mind being given the chance to hunt down the Winchesters; but, I want that guy's head mounted on my wall." The older man heatedly stated.

"How were you to know that some guy had a vision and tipped the other side off to what you were planning?" The young man was accustomed to his companion's outbursts and felt his pain. "I still don't see why we're the ones stuck hunting this seer down?"

"Would you prefer to be spending time in hell, as punishment for our failure?" The older man asked, although he already knew the answer to that question. "I'd much rather be up here paying retribution, than be down there getting retribution taken out on me. Scenery is much better up here and the accommodations are far less painful."

The young man nodded his head in agreement. He had been the equivalence of a Lieutenant General, while his companion had been the General. They had been given the task of opening up a seal and had failed. Aiden was a respected and feared demon, who was known for successfully completing any task assigned to him. Vahe had had the good fortune of getting to work for him and had earned Aiden's trust… well, as much trust as any demon will ever have in another demon. Vahe had remained loyal to Aiden, even when they had failed to open the seal.

The failure had taken place seven months ago. Aiden had been told to open a seal in Montana. Vahe had not been surprised, when Aiden told him of the job and invited Vahe on the little excursion. Aiden had had a solid plan, which had shown no signs of having any faults. In fact, all had been going according to plan, until five minutes before the seal was to be broken; some one came and stopped them. Neither Aiden nor Vahe had had any warning that something was about to go amiss and were totally shocked, when the plan failed. Luckily, they had caught the person, who had foiled their plan and were able to question him. However, they were somewhat disappointed with how little information they got from him. All they managed to learn was that a seer was at a Faire and had forewarned of Aiden's plan. Aiden and Vahe received a messenger from hell, who had been given the job of sending Aiden and Vahe back to hell. But since the two demons had some idea on how Aiden's plan had been stopped, they used that knowledge to explain their failure. They also pointed out that if a seer was able to forewarn of Aiden's plan, then that same seer might also forewarn of other demons' plans. Aiden was given one chance to redeem himself and that was to track down the seer. With a little coaxing, Aiden also got Vahe assigned to the task.

So now, Aiden and Vahe found themselves following the Faire, as though they were a bunch of groupies. However, thus far, they had had no success in identifying the seer. They had killed several people; but, the seer was still alive. This was made evident by the fact that another demon had been stopped, before he could open a seal. Aiden's superiors were growing frustrated by Aiden's continued inability to kill the seer. Aiden knew his time was running out and if he didn't get the seer soon that he would never again get a chance to redeem himself.

The recent appearance of the Winchesters, at the Faire, had caused Aiden's confidence to grow. He must have been getting close to getting the seer, in order to explain the arrival of the Winchester brothers. After all, why else would the Winchesters have been at the Faire? Had Aiden and Vahe gotten that close to killing the seer, that the Winchesters were now the only ones who might be able to protect the visionary?

Aiden had been ecstatic to hear that he was to capture and torture Dean Winchester. Every demon knew who Dean was and was familiar with what Dean had done, both on earth and in hell. Aiden had been disappointed, when he was given strict instructions on how far he could go with his torture of Dean. However, he knew better than to question his superiors and knew that he didn't want to tip Dean off to the fact that Aiden was ultimately out to get the seer. Aiden knew that it was better to throw the Winchesters off balance and to have them question why Dean had been grabbed. If the Winchesters got too caught up in trying to learn who had tortured Dean and sought revenge, than they might become less protective of the seer and that would allow Aiden and Vahe a better opportunity of getting to their real target. Secretly, Aiden hoped that upon killing the seer, he would be rewarded with being allowed to hunt down and torture Dean Winchester, except, instead of being limited on the extent of the torture, Aiden would be unrestricted and would ultimately be allowed to kill Dean.

Chapter 24

Sam entered the hotel room and was not surprised to find his brother asleep, on the bed. He was disappointed to see that only one bottle of water had been opened and that the food was untouched. Although Sam knew that he couldn't have left Asaph alone at the Faire, Sam felt guilty for not being able to check on Dean during the day. Sam was happy that, on the way back from the Faire, he had bought some soup and a sandwich at a nearby diner for his brother.

Gently sitting down on the side of Dean's bed, Sam looked at his brother. "Dean?" Sam quietly asked. "Dean, you need to wake up and eat something." Sam tenderly placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and gently shook it.

"Hmmm?" Was the only answer Dean gave, as he tried to pull the blanket up higher and roll over onto his side. A small gasp escaped Dean's mouth, as he put pressure on some cuts. With a grimace, Dean opened his eyes and looked over at Sam.

Sam had heard Dean's gasp and knew his brother was still in pain. Grabbing the container of soup, Sam lifted it up for his brother to see. "I got you some soup."

"Not really hungry, Sam." Dean said, with a slight shake of his head. Closing his eyes, he tried to go back to sleep. Although this time, he chose to remain lying on his back.

"Come on Dean. You have to eat something." Sam said with a little bit of authority in his voice. "I'm not going to leave you alone, until you do."

Dean huffed and opened his eyes. Looking his younger, annoying brother in the face, Dean realized that Sam would remain true to his word. "Fine."

With a small, victorious smile on his face, Sam got off the bed and watched Dean slowly sit up. Sam didn't miss the grimaces of pain, which his older brother made as he cautiously changed his position. Sam knew the extent of his brother's injuries and knew that the numerous lacerations would interfere with Dean being able to painlessly move around.

After Dean had finally managed to swing his legs off the bed and remained in a sitting position, Sam handed him the soup. Sam relaxed some, as he watched Dean eat the soup. Twenty-four hours ago, Sam had feared that he had lost his brother for good and was now appreciating the fact that his brother was alive in front of him.

/SN/

Vahe remained in the hotel room alone and was looking at the computer screen. Aiden had gone out for something to eat and probably to find some female companionship for the night. Vahe had turned down the offer to join in some nightly activity and had instead decided to remain at the hotel. Vahe had a secret reason to stay behind. Unlike Aiden, Vahe wasn't content with being told to limit his interaction with the Winchesters. Vahe knew all about the Winchesters and had some strong feelings about one Samuel Winchester. Like other demons, Vahe had hoped that Sam would have accepted his powers and would have risen among the ranks of demons. But, Sam had turned down that offer. Some demons quietly gossiped that Sam could still change his mind and that Sam might still decide to lead the demons against the angels. But, Vahe wasn't so forgiving or willing to give Sam a second chance. Vahe had his own desires to rise up in the ranks and by killing Sam, he felt that he could quickly catapult himself forward. As Vahe sat in front of the computer, he looked over all the pictures he had taken, at the Faire, of Sam. Vahe had spotted Sam the previous weekend at the Faire and had been overjoyed to see Sam at the Faire again this weekend. Initially, Vahe had feared that he had missed his opportunity to grab Sam. However, with Dean's abduction and torture, Vahe was fairly certain that Sam would remain in the area a while longer. After all, the Winchesters were known for seeking revenge on any supernatural being that chose to attack them or their loved ones. And since Dean had suffered at the hands of Aiden, Vahe was confident that he would still get his opportunity to kill Sam.

Vahe sat back in his chair and began to form a plan. Killing the seer was no longer a priority for him, although he would never let Aiden or any other demons know that. No. Vahe knew that he had to keep his plans to himself and that he would be going after Sam on his own. Leaning forward in the chair, Vahe again looked over the photos he had taken. He had carefully followed Sam at the Faire and had tried to determine what directed Sam's behavior. Vahe also looked closely at the photos and tried to guess what types of weapons, Sam may have stashed in his outfit. Absently, a small part of Vahe's mind noticed that the musician, who had been close to Sam, never appeared in any of the photos. If Vahe had been paying close attention, he would have noticed that the camera had never been able to get a photo of Asaph, since there always seemed to be a guest blocking the view.

/SN/

Aiden sat at a table, in a bar, which was just a block from where the Winchesters were staying. Earlier, Aiden had temporarily borrowed a maid's body and tried to pay Dean a visit. However, his plans had been foiled, when he found the salt-lined doorway. Taking a sip of his beer, Aiden tried to soothe his disappointment with thoughts of possible, future opportunities. As badly as Aiden wanted the seer dead, he wanted Dean dead even more so. Like some other demons, Aiden had hoped that Sam would have openly embraced his powers and chosen to become the leader of the demon army. Sam had destroyed Aiden's hope, when he chose to help Dean go after the Yellow-Eyed Demon. But, Aiden's hope returned, as Sam honed his powers and skills, after his brother's death. Sam may have used his powers to send demons back to hell. But in time, Aiden was fairly certain that that power would have taken hold of Sam and would have slowly corrupted Sam into using his powers to help the demons. After all, if Sam could use his powers to put demons into hell, why couldn't he use those same powers to pull demons out of hell?

Dean's return had seemed to bring Sam's use of his powers to a halt. But, if Dean's death had been the catalyst for Sam's use of his powers before, than Aiden saw no reason why Dean's death wouldn't again have the same effect. All Aiden had to do was kill Dean and ensure that Dean was never able to return from the dead. Then, Sam could go back to freely using his powers. And while Sam's powers grew, Aiden would patiently be watching from the sidelines. Aiden was hundreds of years old; so, waiting a couple years for Sam to be corrupted by his powers, wouldn't be that long of a wait. Once Sam accepted his role as a leader in the demon army, Aiden would step forward and prove himself as being qualified to be Sam's right hand man. In fact, when Sam completely appreciated what Sam was able to do as a result of his powers and admitted that without Dean's death that he never would have achieved such greatness, then Aiden might even take credit for killing Dean. And if Sam cherished the fact that the one person who had blocked his rise in power had been taken out of the way, Sam might even reward Aiden for his actions. A hopeful smile appeared on Aiden's face, as he thought of ways Sam might re-pay him for killing Dean, thereby allowing Sam's powers to grow unhindered.


	9. Trying again

Chapter 25

A few days passed, and Dean slowly grew stronger. His cuts were scabbed over and weren't quite as painful, as they had once been. He wasn't one hundred percent; but, he was familiar with working while injured. As he sat on the side of his bed, he once again went through the events of his abduction.

"He could have killed me; but, he didn't." Dean said to Sam.

Sam sat on a chair, with his laptop on the table next to him. "You're sure nothing scared him off?"

"I'm positive. I didn't hear anything that would have made him stop. A phone didn't ring. No one else came into the room. Nothing. He just cut me up and then put his knife away." Dean frustratingly stated. The past couple days, Dean and Sam had been reviewing the events surrounding Dean's abduction and torture. They were looking for anything that might explain who had taken Dan and why Dean had been taken. Thus far, they had come up with nothing and the lack of answers was unnerving Dean.

"Ok, so he never mentioned Asaph. He never asked you where the seer was." Sam stated. "He never questioned you at all?" Sam asked. He too was growing discouraged by the lack of information regarding his brother's abduction.

"Nothing." Dean vehemently answered and shook his head. "He called me by my name and said that he was told to send me regards from hell. And when he finished cutting me up, he just put his knife away and didn't say a thing." Dean looked over Sam's shoulder and replayed the events in his mind. There had to be something he missed. There had to be a reason why he had been treated the way that he had been. But, whatever that reason was, it was doing a good job of eluding Dean.

"None of the cuts mean anything. They don't create any shape or symbol. So, I don't see any symbolic reason for the cuts." Sam stated. He had helped clean Dean's injuries the other day and while doing so, he had purposefully been looking to see if any of them looked like a symbol or could be connected together to create some symbol or pattern. However, the cuts seemed to be just cuts, with no symbolic meaning behind them.

"They just hurt like hell." Dean stated. His eyes narrowed, as a thought came to him. Slowly, Dean stood up and carefully took of his shirt. Every movement pulled on the cuts. No matter what Dean did, it caused the scabs to pull on some cuts. With his shirt off, Dean looked at the injuries to his chest and arms.

Sam remained seated in the chair and watched his brother. He wondered what was going through his brother's mind. Sam could see that the cuts were showing signs of healing. But, Sam could also see that some tension was put on the scabs, when his brother moved.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Dean tentatively moved his arms a bit and took a slow, deep breath. "He knew where to cut." Dean concluded. "He knew right where to cut me, so I couldn't move without irritating some cuts. He wanted to make certain that these things hurt, even after he made them. He knew precisely where to cut the skin and what angle to cut at." Looking at Sam, Dean went on. 'Either he's some mad surgeon out to practice his knife skills, or he's a demon. He's got experience doing this sort of thing." As he saw Sam dwelling on what Dean had said, Dean gently put his shirt back on and sat back down on the bed.

A couple minutes later, Sam replied, "Ok, let's say it is a demon. Was he after you specifically or is he after Asaph? If he had you strapped down, why not force you to tell him where Asaph is? Why grab you and let you live?" Dean's conclusion about it being a demon made sense, except for the fact that Dean had lived and the demon never asked about the seer. Sam wasn't sure what to think and based on the expression on his brother's face, Sam knew that Dean was feeling the same way.

/SN/

It was Friday and Aiden and Vahe were making plans for the weekend. Both felt certain that the Winchesters would be at the Faire again and were making plans for the brothers. Since Dean had gotten a good look at the face of the man Aiden had possessed, he decided to get into a new body. After disposing of the old body, Aiden returned to the hotel and found Vahe waiting for him.

"Ready for tomorrow?' Aiden asked.

"Yep. Once we identify the seer, I got the drugs right here, which will kill him." Vahe said, as he patted a bag, which lay on the bed next to him. What Vahe didn't mention was that he had also grabbed some meds, which he planned on using on Sam. Vahe knew that he would only have one chance to get to Sam and that chance would probably come before they identified the seer. Vahe was willing to risk taking care of Sam, before completing their assigned job of killing the seer. Vahe was so confident that his plan would work and knew how satisfied he would be for being the one to kill Sam that he was willing to pay whatever repercussions came for not getting the seer. For Vahe, all that mattered now was getting his hands on Sam and getting the chance to let Sam know how disappointed Vahe was with Sam's decision to not lead the demon army. And with his plan, Vahe knew that he would get his chance. He had no desire to kill Sam right away. Instead, Vahe planned on torturing Sam first, before he let Sam die. And by the time Vahe finished torturing Sam; Sam would be more than ready to die. In fact, Vahe was fairly certain, that halfway through the torture, Sam would be pleading for his death.

Chapter 26

Saturday arrived and the Winchesters were back at the Faire. Sam knew that Dean was still in some pain, from the cuts. But at the same time, Sam knew that there was no way that Dean was going to let Sam come to the Faire on his own to protect Asaph. As before, Sam was dressed in Renaissance attire and would remain close to Asaph. Whereas last weekend Dean had arrived ahead of Asaph and Sam at various locations, this weekend Dean traveled with Asaph and Sam from place to place. Dean did keep some distance from Sam and Asaph; but, Dean was never out of sight from Sam. Sam had successfully convinced Dean to not go off on his own and also got his brother to agree to stay within sight of Sam and Asaph. Sam had already come close to losing Dean once during this case and Sam had no desire to risk losing his brother again.

/SN/

Before arriving at the Faire, Aiden and Vahe had discussed their plans. Vahe still possessed the same person he had possessed last week. Since Sam might have noticed Vahe last weekend, Aiden suggested that Vahe follow Dean this weekend, while Aiden tailed Sam. Initially, Vahe disagreed with that plan; but, not wanting to tip Aiden off about his secret plans for Sam, Vahe finally agreed with Aiden.

When the demons arrived at the Faire, they quickly walked around, until they spotted the Winchester brothers. Aiden noticed that Sam was wearing the same costume, which he had worn the previous weekend. Aiden wondered why Sam would still be wearing the costume. Aiden had not been allowed to question Dean about the seer; but now, Aiden was wondering if they might have no choice but interrogate one of the Winchesters for information. Aiden and Vahe had been trying for several months to identify the seer and had not had any success. Aiden knew that his superiors were getting upset that the seer was still ruining their plans.

From where he stood, Aiden was able to watch Sam and Dean. Aiden smiled, as he noticed that Dean seemed to limit his movements and caught Dean grimace a couple times. Aiden had much experience using a knife and it was obvious, to him, that Dean was still suffering from the wounds he had endured. As Aiden watched the brothers, he tried to determine which of the Winchester brothers would be more prone to relinquish information about the seer. Aiden knew that neither brother would willingly reveal who the seer was; but with a little persuasion, Aiden was certain that he would be able to get what he needed.

From where he stood, Vahe was able to observe both Dean and Sam. Aiden had made it clear that Vahe was to follow Dean; but, Vahe had his own agenda and felt that time was running out for him to complete it. Vahe was able to see Aiden and knew that for appearance's sake, he needed to look as though Dean was the only one he was watching. Vahe looked around and then decided to walk to the other side of a nearby tree. From his new location, Vahe was out of Aiden's line of sight; but, Vahe was still able to see the Winchester brothers. Vahe could feel his anticipation building. Today was the day he grabbed Sam. Vahe knew that Aiden was under pressure, from his superiors, to kill the seer. And although Vahe no longer cared about the seer, he knew that Aiden could still hinder Vahe's ability to get to Sam. For now, Vahe would play along with Aiden's plan. But tonight, as the Faire closed for the day, Vahe planned on getting Sam.

/SN/

As Saturday wore on, Dean grew more tired. He hadn't totally recovered from his abduction and torture. The day's weather was warm and Dean was sweating some. The sweat caused Dean's clothes to stick to his skin and rub against his numerous scabbed cuts. Dean knew that he needed to remain focused and could not allow his growing discomfort to distract him. However, as the day progressed, Dean was having a harder time ignoring his soreness.

Sam was on the look-out for anything unusual. A couple times, he thought he had spotted the man, who had caught his attention last weekend. However, either Sam was mistaken or the man changed his position so Sam couldn't get a good look at him. While looking for any threat to Asaph, Sam was also looking for any threats to his brother. Throughout the day, Sam had been looking over at Dean and had noticed more signs of pain, appearing on Dean's face. Dean tended to be very stoic and the average person wouldn't realize that Dean was suffering. But, Sam knew his brother and knew what to look for. As a result, Sam hoped that nothing adverse happened today and that they could quickly get back to the hotel, where Dean could rest.

/SN/

The day was coming to an end for the Faire. Throughout the day, Aiden had been looking for some signs of who the seer might be. However, thus far, Aiden didn't have a clue. It appeared as though the brothers were staying close to a musician; but, Aiden had only heard the guy sing old Elizabethan songs. Was the seer actually one of the people who appeared to be listening to the musician? Were the brothers simply following the musician, in order to draw attention away from the seer? Instead of coming up with any answers, Aiden was only coming up with more question.

In the past, Aiden would have made a decision on his own and would have freely changed his plans, without consulting any one. However, since he was on probation for his earlier failure, Aiden knew that he needed to consult with his superior. Before dumping the body, of the man he had possessed while torturing Dean, Aiden had drained some blood from the body. After casting a quick glance at Vahe and confirming that Vahe was watching Dean, Aiden ducked behind one of the nearby stands. Pulling out a goblet, which was covered with symbols, Aiden poured the blood into it and called upon his superior.

Minutes later, Aiden stepped out from behind the stand and re-joined the crowd. He had gotten his answer. He had been told to grab one of the Winchesters and to do whatever he needed to do, in order to learn the identity of the seer.

Chapter 27

Vahe had seen Aiden step behind a stand. Now was his chance to grab Sam. Vahe knew that once he nabbed Sam, that he would be on his own and that, given a chance, Aiden might even try to stop him. Mentally, Vahe had run through several different ways to get to Sam. As Vahe watched Sam, he tried to figure out which plan would be the most effective. Since Dean was keeping an eye on Sam, Vahe knew that he would only be able to get Sam, if Dean was distracted. As luck would have it, Vahe watched as two women approached Dean and asked him to take their picture for them. Vahe quickly took advantage of the situation and walked towards Sam.

Vahe had prepared two syringes, before arriving at the Faire. One syringe, which Aiden was aware of, was for the seer. The other syringe, which Aiden had no knowledge of, was for Sam. Pulling out the syringe for Sam, Vahe hide it up his sleeve. As he neared Sam, Vahe glanced over in Dean's direction ad confirmed that Dean was still distracted. Coming up behind Sam, Vahe stabbed the syringe into the back of Sam's thigh and threw an arm around Sam, as though he was Sam's buddy and was giving him a hug.

"Nighty, night Sam." Vahe whispered into Sam's ear. Fortunately, they were close to some stands, and Vahe was able to steer Sam towards them. As the drug kicked in, Vahe got a stronger hold of Sam and half carried Sam behind the stands. Vahe didn't know how long Dean would be distracted and knew he needed to act quickly.

/SN/

Aiden was ecstatic to hear that he could grab a Winchester, in order to locate the seer. Aiden knew exactly which Winchester he was going to grab. Aiden had already planned on killing Dean and now, he had a perfectly good reason to grab Dean again. But how to go about doing that? Sam and Dean had been keeping within sight of each other the entire day. Aiden needed some way to distract Dean and lure Dean away from Sam. As Aiden stood there thinking, two young women walked by. An idea came to mind and Aiden decided to go with it.

Stepping behind a stand, Aiden left the body he had been possessing and moved into the body of one of the young woman. After a quick chat with her friend, Aiden went up to Dean and asked him to take a picture. After Dean took the picture, Aiden told his female companion to go on without her friend. After being left alone with Dean, Aiden walked up to him.

"Uh. I… uh… don't normally do this." Aiden stammered. "Can we… uh… go somewhere to talk?" Aiden gave Dean a look, which he hoped conveyed more than what he had said. Dean went to look over his shoulder towards Sam; but, Aiden quickly lifted his hand to Dean's head and redirected his attention back to Aiden.

"Sure." Dean replied, with a small smile on his face. "How about right behind that stand?" Dean asked, as he indicated going behind the fortune teller's stand.

"I'd like that." Aiden replied with a smile of his own.

/SN/

Since the Faire was closing in just a few minutes, Vahe knew exactly where he could take Sam and have some privacy. One of the benefits of having spent so many weeks following the Faire was that Vahe knew the Faire's routine and knew what employees did as the Faire closed for the day.

Draping one of Sam's arms around his shoulder, Vahe made it appear as though he was just helping out a friend. It helped that Vahe had seen a cup which was filled a quarter of the way with beer and had poured the beer over Sam. If any one got too close, they would think that Sam had had one too many. As Vahe headed towards his goal, he nonchalantly looked around. Not only was he checking to see if any of the visitors or employees were paying too much attention to him and Sam; but, he was also on the look out for Dean or Aiden. At the moment, Vahe didn't know who he was more worried about being caught by, Dean or Aiden.

Vahe knew where some of the meat was cooked and smoked. He knew of a large barrel shaped smoker, which was kept not far from the King's theater. In the past, Vahe had used that same smoker to help dispose of some bodies. Previously, Vahe had put the bodies on the fire side of the smoker. This time, Vahe planned on first putting Sam on the smoker side.

Currently, the drug kept Sam from being the ideal victim of torture, since he would be blissfully unaware of what was being done to him. And, Vahe wanted Sam to be aware of what was being done. Vahe wanted Sam to suffer and wanted Sam to beg for mercy. As Vahe and Sam neared the smoker, Vahe saw that no one else was around. Dropping Sam to the ground, Vahe opened the smoker's lid and saw that all the meat had already been removed. Taking out a couple racks, Vahe made room in the smoker for Sam's body. Closing the lid, the demon turned back to Sam. Spotting some rope, which was normally used for the meat, Vahe cut a few pieces and bound Sam's wrists and ankles. With that accomplished, Vahe opened the smoker and lifted Sam up and into in. Not wanting to take a chance of Sam waking up and escaping, Vahe tied Sam's bound wrists to a rack inside the smoker. Although Vahe had poured some beer on Sam, it wasn't enough to catch fire or cause any harm to Sam. With Sam tied and unconscious, Vahe closed the smoker's lid and stepped over to the side of the smoker. There, Vahe found a vent and opened it. The vent would allow more smoke to come out and would help to limit how much smoke accumulated in the smoker. Vahe wanted Sam to suffer; but, didn't want carbon monoxide to kill him, before Vahe could thoroughly torture Sam. Vahe had only put enough medication, in the syringe, to knock Sam out for a few minutes. So, Vahe knew that it wouldn't take long for the drug to begin to wear off and for Sam to awaken.

/SN/

Dean had been tired; but, the recent woman's interest had caught Dean's attention. Even injured, Dean could still get the ladies. Invitingly, Dean took the woman's hand and led the way behind the fortune teller's stand.

/SN/

Aiden smiled, as he let Dean lead the way. Once again, Aiden was going to get a chance to torment Dean, except this time, the demon ultimately planned on ending Dean's life. Aiden would keep Dean alive long enough for Dean to reveal the seer's location and then Aiden would kill him.


	10. Personal agendas

Chapter 28

Minutes passed and Vahe listened for some sign of Sam waking up. Checking his watch, Vahe knew that the drug was wearing off and decided to begin the torture. Walking over to the fire end of the smoker, Vahe added some wood to the fire. The demon wasn't really interested in making smoke; but, he was interested in creating heat, which would be directed into Sam's section of the smoker.

Throwing a few logs onto the fire, Vahe stepped back and watched the flames. Like a lover's caress, the finger-like flames felt along the newly added logs. The fire slowly moved along the logs and enticingly curled around their edges. The flames continued to dance around the logs and invitingly touched the dry wood. While the fire moved along the logs, it began to generate more and more heat, as its passion grew. Quickly, the logs became caught up in the flames' passion and were soon engulfed by the fire. Vahe smiled as he watched the logs become overwhelmed by the fire.

/SN/

Sam wasn't sure what the first thing was that he noticed. He had a headache and smelled smoke. Sam coughed and felt his headache explode. Opening his eyes, he noticed blackness. Sam realized that his wrists were bound and were tied above his head. Lifting his head up some, Sam noticed a hole nearby that allowed some light in. Coughing some more, Sam knew that he was surrounded by smoke. After a couple attempts, he realized that he could not easily free his wrists. Sam then attempted to move his legs; but, met resistance. He had been positioned in a curled up position, within something that did not allow him to stretch his legs. In fact, due to the cramped space, Sam was only able to move his legs about an inch either way. Sam wasn't sure what he was being held in. What he did know was that he was surrounded by smoke and an ever increasing heat. Sam could feel himself sweating and felt as though he was being suffocated. The heat was getting oppressive and unbearable.

/SN/

Vahe could hear Sam trying to move around within the smoker. A smile appeared on the demon's face as the first part of his plan was in action. Vahe didn't have too many parts in his plan, since he wasn't sure how soon Aiden might find him and try to stop him. Vahe figured he had about ten minutes to torture Sam, before Aiden became too curious and went looking for Vahe. With a mental countdown going on in his head, Vahe got ready for the next part of his plan.

/SN/

Still leading the woman by the hand, Dean sat down on a bench, which was behind the fortune teller's stand, and indicated for the woman to join him. Once she did so, Dean looked her in the eyes and scooted closer to her.

/SN/

Aiden kept an enticing smile on his face. He knew that he would soon have his chance to knock Dean out. Once Dean was unconscious, Aiden would find Vahe and get the drugs from him. Since Vahe had loyally worked for Aiden for so long, Aiden decided that he would allow the other demon to join in torturing Dean. Once Dean was sedated and the Faire's crowds and employees had left for the day, Aiden and Vahe would take Dean back to the motel and question him there.

In the past, Aiden and Vahe had killed other people at the Faire; but since they would first get to torture Dean, Aiden decided that it would be best to remove Dean from the Faire. After all, the last time Dean had gone missing, Sam had looked for his brother at the Faire. And since Aiden was no longer required to let Dean live, the demon decided that it was best to take Dean to a place that his brother would never think to look.

Following Dean's example, Aiden sat down on the bench. His smile grew as he saw how easy Dean was making this. Dean's guard was down and he was making it clear that he had only one thought on his mind. Aiden would play along for a bit longer. Since Sam and Dean had been keeping an eye on each other, Aiden didn't want to act too quickly and get caught attacking Dean. Instead, Aiden decided that he would play this little charade a bit longer, in order to see if Sam might try to interrupt Dean spending time with a woman. If Sam did not make an appearance within the next couple minutes, then Aiden would make his move.

Aiden noticed that Dean let go of his hand and was moving closer to Aiden on the bench. Aiden watched as Dean temporarily broke eye contact with Aiden and looked around, as though Dean was ensuring that no one could see what the two of them were doing. Aiden wondered if Dean was worried about getting caught by an employee, a visitor, or Sam. As long as Sam wasn't the one who saw them, Aiden didn't care. He knew how to take care of Dean and the only one who served a real threat to Aiden's plan was Sam. As long as Sam didn't make an appearance and gave Dean some privacy, then Aiden didn't really care who saw the demon-possessed woman with Dean.

/SN/

Dean had picked this spot on purpose. It was one of the few areas at the Faire that had privacy from prying eyes. The fortune teller's stand happened to be near some trees and several bushes. Although it was early fall, the bushes still had their leaves on them and gave the bench privacy. Dean had noticed the spot, during his first weekend at the Faire. It was a nice, quiet, secluded spot, which permitted Dean to accomplish what he planned on doing. From Asaph, Dean had learned that the fortune teller had chosen to place her stand, next to this area, due to the privacy that could be found nearby. In order to make the spot more comfortable, the fortune teller had placed an outdoor rug on the ground and put a nice, hand-made bench on top of the carpet. When the temperature got too hot in the stand, the fortune teller would take her clients outside and seat them on the bench, before telling them their future. And now that the Faire was closing for the day, Dean knew that the fortune teller would not be returning to this secluded spot and knew that he would be left alone.

Placing one hand on the back of the bench, Dean leaned towards the woman, who sat next to him.

Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Dean whispered…

Chapter 29

Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Dean whispered, "Christo." Dean watched as the woman's eyes turned to black. Reaching behind the bench's back support, Dean grabbed a bottle of holy water, which he had taped to the back. Grabbing the bottle, Dean quickly pulled it free of the tape. Getting up from the bench and stepping away from the seated woman, Dean threw some of the holy water onto her.

Dean watched as steam came off the woman's body, where the holy water had come in contact with it. Dean also listened as the woman hissed painfully. Dean smiled, as his hunch was confirmed.

/SN/

Aiden was shocked by Dean's sudden change in behavior. The demon was not prepared for the hated word to be said and was even less prepared for the holy water. What had tipped Dean off to the woman being possessed? How had Aiden's plan failed?

Turning hate-filled eyes towards Dean, Aiden stared at the accursed hunter. Reeling in his emotions, Aiden quickly tried to find a way to turn the tables on Dean. Lunging at Dean, Aiden came in contact with an invisible wall. Landing on the ground, Aiden looked up and tried to identify what had stopped him.

/SN/

Dean watched as an array of emotions quickly played out on the demon's face, before the face turned neutral. The hunter almost laughed as the demon made a futile attempt to physically attack him. There was a reason why Dean had chosen to come to the bench, which was near the fortune teller's stand. Dean had hoped that he would get an opportunity to trap a demon. With his hopes high, Dean had strategically hidden several demon traps throughout the Faire.

Late Friday night, Dean and Sam had sneaked into the Faire and had placed the traps. Since neither brother knew where a demon might show up, they had spent several hours preparing various traps. The brothers had ensured that the traps weren't out in the open and that the traps could easily be accessed. One of those traps was hidden under the rug, which the bench was resting on. Initially, the brothers had been uncertain as to what they might need at the Faire. However, Friday morning, Asaph had had a vision and had instructed the Winchesters that the demon, who had tortured Dean, would be back at the Faire.

Now, Dean was happy to see that Asaph's vision had come to fruition and that Dean would get a chance to send the demon back to hell. Dean would have preferred to do a little torturing himself to the demon; but, Dean knew that the woman, who was possessed, would also feel the torture and Dean had no desire to cause her any pain.

Dean was tempted to ask the demon, why Dean had not been killed. He was also tempted to question the demon about whether or not the demon was after the seer. But, Dean planned on sending the demon back to hell and didn't want to take a chance of giving the demon any hints about anything. Dean especially didn't want to mention the seer or the existence of the seer, since he didn't want to confirm any suspicions that the demon might have about there being a seer. Dean knew that the less that was said about the seer, the safer it would be for the seer. Pulling a book out of his coat pocket, Dean began to read the exorcism. Dean assumed that the woman hadn't been possessed long and felt confident that the sooner the demon was removed, the better the chances were for the woman to survive. Within moments, the woman let out a scream, as a cloud of black smoke came billowing out of her mouth.

/SN/

Aiden fumed, as he realized that he was unable to reach Dean. He watched as Dean pulled out a book and began to read. Aiden's mind went blank. He could think of nothing to say to Dean, which might stop Dean from performing the exorcism. Aiden was terrified of what Dean was doing. Correction… Aiden was terrified of where he was going. He had failed again and knew that there was going to be a painful price to pay. Until now, Aiden had never been frozen by fear. Normally, Aiden was the one causing fear in others, demons and humans. But, for the first time, Aiden was experiencing true fear. As a soldier he knew that a price must be paid when orders are not fulfilled. But, in hell, there were no words to describe how painfully awful that price was. As the exorcism's final words were said, Aiden stood up and prepared himself for what was to come. He knew he had been defeated; but, he was not going to reward Dean by showing any signs of defeat.

The scream that came from the woman's mouth was not from Aiden. No, that scream came from the woman, who felt as though she was being torn apart, and was her way of expressing the pain she felt as the demon was ripped out of her. The black cloud, which came from the woman's mouth, was Aiden. That cloud was his spirit being forcefully removed from a person and being sent back to hell.

/SN/

Asaph looked around and was stunned to not see either of the Winchesters near him. He was so accustomed to having at least one of them nearby, that he felt totally vulnerable on his own. He had forewarned the hunters of the demon making a reappearance at the Faire. The seer knew that the hunters had taken certain precautions and had prepared themselves for an encounter with the demon. Had something gone wrong?

Asaph had seen Dean walking away with a woman. On the other hand, Asaph had not seen what had happened to Sam. The seer had finished a song and turned to see that Sam was no longer standing close to him. While performing his song, Asaph had had another vision about the upcoming war and had been caught up with incorporating the recent information into his song. As a result, he had been unaware of what was taking place around him.

Asaph glanced around and tried to determine his next course of action. Spotting the fortune teller's stand, Asaph recalled hearing the brothers mention that they would place a demon trap behind it. Hoping that that was where the brothers had gone to, the seer headed in that direction.

Before heading behind the fortune teller's stand, Asaph looked behind him and confirmed that no one was paying any attention to him. Quietly, Asaph walked behind the stand and arrived in time to hear the woman scream and see the black cloud come out of her mouth. After the woman fell to the ground, Asaph watched as Dean went over to her and checked on her condition. Asaph glanced around and saw no signs of Sam.

/SN/

Sensing some one behind him, Dean looked over his shoulder and saw Asaph standing near the fortune teller's stand. With his finger still on the woman's neck, Dean confirmed that she was alive.

"What are you doing here?' Dean asked Asaph. "Where's Sam? How come you're not with him?" Dean asked, as he realized that his brother was not with the seer.

Chapter 30

"I thought he was with you." Asaph replied.

Dean bit the inside of his cheek, as he debated where his brother was. "You see anything unusual? Anything odd?"

"No." Asaph felt bad that his vision might have kept him from seeing something important. He knew that the Winchesters were responsible for protecting him. But, the seer had grown fond of them and hoped that his lack of awareness didn't keep Dean from finding out where Sam had gone.

Looking down at the woman, who had been possessed, Dean debated what his next step would be. "Come here," Dean said, as he waved Asaph over to the woman. "Help her, while I look for Sam." Dean regretted not questioning the demon, before he exorcized it. Dean had assumed that the demon had been working on his own; but now, Dean was beginning to wonder if the demon had an accomplice. The eldest hunter wasn't keen on leaving the seer by himself. But at the moment, he didn't feel like he had any other option. When Dean had been abducted, he had been tortured and he did not want his brother to suffer a similar fate or worse.

/SN/

Stepping up to the section of the smoker, which held Sam, Vahe addressed his captive. "You know, you could have had anything you wanted. Countless demons were ready to follow your every command. But instead, you betrayed them. You were given a gift and threw it away." Vahe paused, before continuing. "I believed in you. I saw what type of potential you had and was all ready to follow your orders. But, no! You decided to follow that dumb brother of yours and fight the demons. Hell, you even used the very powers you were given by a demon against other demons. You're a traitor. Deep down inside, you know you belong on our side. Why do you deny the truth?" Vahe's voice grew more heated as he spoke. "You had you're chance to be successful. Now, you have to pay the price for being a failure."

/SN/

Sam listened to what was being said. Who was talking to him like this? Sam felt certain that it was a demon; but, was shocked by how berating the demon spoke to him. Demons tended to taunt their captives or tell them things that caused them more grief. But, this demon seemed to be scolding Sam. He felt more like he was being corrected for making a mistake and was surprised by what he was hearing. Why would a demon care about how Sam decided to use his powers? Sure, he understood that a demon wouldn't want Sam to use his powers to send demons back to hell. But, this current rant seemed to be more than that. This demon sounded truly upset with how Sam had decided to lead his life and seemed disappointed with Sam's decisions.

Sam coughed some more, as the smoke continued to reach into his lungs and made breathing more difficult. It wasn't just the smoke and the ranting that were making Sam uncomfortable. The heat was getting more and more intense and unbearable. Sam knew that his body was sweating, in an attempt to cool him. But, the heat was so strong that it turned the sweat to steam, before his clothes had a chance to get saturated with sweat. Sam futilely tried to move and burned his exposed skin, when it came in contact with some hot metal. An intense coughing spell hit Sam, as his lungs tried to keep the smoke from building up within them. Sam could feel himself struggling to breathe. It was as though he was drowning. Except it wasn't water that was suffocating him, it was smoke and heat that were overpowering him.

/SN/

Vahe looked at his watch and knew that if Sam remained in the smoke much longer, that Sam would die. Although Vahe didn't want Sam to die just yet, the demon didn't want to open the smoker's lid too early. He wanted Sam to weaken a bit more, before he lifted the lid. Recently, Sam may not have been using his powers; but, Vahe didn't want to risk Sam suddenly changing his mind on employing his powers. No, Vahe could wait a couple more minutes, to ensure that the heat and smoke sufficiently weakened Sam.

/SN/

As Dean stepped out from behind the fortune teller's stand, he paused for a moment to think of where to go next. Dean doubted that Sam had been taken to the barn. There were too many people in the parking lot, near the barn, who could have witnessed anything unusual. So, Dean quickly ruled out that location. Sam wouldn't have willingly gone far. Even if Sam had spotted something, Dean knew that Sam would have first confirmed that Dean could keep an eye on Asaph. Dean looked at the visitors exiting the Faire and looked for any one who appeared to be suspicious. Not seeing anything or any one unusual, Dean reviewed what had occurred at the other Faires. The hunter recalled how people had died and where their bodies had been found. Dean remembered that Asaph had told the brothers that he had found the dead bodies and had placed talismans on the bodies, in order to make a spell, which would temporarily hide the bodies, take effect.

Dean assumed that since he had been tortured, that whoever had Sam might feel the need to also torture the young hunter. Dean saw Asaph helping the woman to walk and directed a question towards the seer. "The bodies that were burned, any idea on how they were burned?'

/SN/

Asaph stopped in his tracks, as he thought about Dean's question. For a moment, he was uncertain about what Dean was referring to. Realizing that the hunter was referring to the burned bodies which Asaph had hid in the past, the seer took a moment to think about where the bodies had been found. "I found them at different places." Asaph shook his head, as he failed to see any explanation for where he had found the bodies.

"Wait." A thought suddenly occurred to Asaph and he realized how the bodies might have been burned. "I found them close to where the big smoker was always kept."

Asaph paused, as he tried to recall whether or not he had found all the burned bodies near the smoker. "Yeah. All the charred bodies were close to where the smoker was kept." Asaph nodded his head, as he clearly remembered a similarity between all the burnt bodies.

/SN/

Dean recalled where he and Sam had seen the large smoker, during their initial investigation of the Faire.


	11. Final target

Chapter 31

In the past, Vahe had burned bodies on the fire side of the smoker. However, due to Sam's size, the demon knew that that would not be possible. Vahe could simply kill Sam by smoke inhalation; but, the demon wanted Sam to have a painful death and allowing smoke to kill Sam just didn't fit the bill. Eyeing the flames, which were providing the smoke and heat for the smoker, Vahe came up with an idea.

/SN/

Sam coughed again and again. His eyes were watering and stinging. His head felt like it was about to explode. The heat and smoke seemed to be acting like a big pillow that was slowly suffocating him. Again, he tried to move around and was unsuccessful.

Sam felt himself losing consciousness. Where was Dean? Didn't Dean know that Sam could use a little help right now? The last time Sam had seen Dean, Dean had been taking pictures of some chicks.

Sam's coughs were now shaking his entire body, as his lungs struggled to keep the smoke from collecting inside them. The young hunter suddenly felt a sense of calmness come over him. It was as though his body no longer felt the need to struggle against the heat and smoke. He felt a comforting warmth come over him, a warmth that wasn't caused by the intense heat that engulfed him. Sam could feel himself starting to drift away, as though he was falling asleep. A part of Sam fought against what was happening; but that part, of him, wasn't strong enough to overcome the effects of the heat and smoke.

/SN/

Dean ran to where he knew the smoker was stored. Previously, Dean had savored the meat, which had been made in it. But now, Dean loathed the smoker and prayed that it wasn't being used to cook his brother. As Dean neared the smoker's location, he slowed and looked for any signs of anything unusual. The hunter saw a man, near the smoker, who matched the description of some one who Sam had noticed the previous weekend. Dean also noticed that smoke was pouring out of the smoker and that a large fire was burning, on one side. The hunter knew that there was something wrong with what he saw before him. The Faire was now closed and there was no reason for the smoker to be in use. Realizing that the man had not noticed Dean's arrival, the hunter snuck up behind him and threw holy water on him.

The hunter knew what to do, when he heard the man hiss and saw the steam come off him, where the holy water had made contact. Pulling out the knife, which Ruby had brought out of hell, Dean quickly stabbed the man in the back. The hunter watched as a black cloud of smoke exited the man's mouth.

/SN/

Vahe was getting ready to move on to the next step of his plan, when he felt a burning sensation on his back. Uncontrollably, a hiss of pain came out of his mouth. But before Vahe had a chance to turn around and discover the source of his discomfort, he felt a stabbing pain in his back. Less than a second later, he was forced to exit the body, which he had been possessing, and was on his way back to hell.

/SN/

Allowing the once possessed body to unceremoniously drop to the ground, Dean turned his attention to the smoker. Swiftly, Dean went to the device and opened the end, which was spilling out smoke. Dean was forced to step back, by the heat and smoke that exited, when the lid was lifted. While coughing and waving the smoke away from his face, Dean stepped towards the smoker and looked inside. Despite the intense heat, Dean felt his heart freeze. With the knife, which had just been used to get rid of the demon, Dean quickly cut the ropes which bound Sam to the smoker's interior.

"Sam?" Dean asked. Sam looked pale and did not respond. A stray tear rolled down Dean's face, which Dean easily blamed on the smoke. After the ropes were cut, Dean quickly wrapped his arms around Sam's upper body and dragged his unresponsive brother out of the smoker.

"Sam?" Dean asked again, as he laid his brother's motionless body on the ground. Swiftly, Dean went about checking for a pulse and tried to confirm that his brother was breathing. Dean turned his head and lowered his ear towards Sam's face. This way, Dean could look at Sam's chest for any movement and use his ear to listen and feel for any air movement through Sam's mouth. A loud, welcome cough resounded in Dean's ear. Dean's fingers found a weak pulse, which gradually grew stronger the more Sam coughed.

Dean kept a hand on Sam's chest, as his younger brother was racked with a long bout of coughing. Dean quietly spoke words of encouragement and comfort to his brother. For what seemed like eternity, Sam coughed without making any effort to open his eyes and without attempting to interact with Dean. Finally, Dean relaxed, when his young brother opened his eyes and turned to look at his older sibling.

"Dean?" Sam asked hoarsely.

"Take it easy. Just focus on taking some deep breaths." Dean stated, with a smile on his face. Dean's heart immediately thawed and began to work again, when he heard Sam say his name.

Sam looked questioningly around, as his coughing began to slow.

"They're gone." Dean said, after he assumed that Sam was looking for the demons.

"They?" Sam was surprised by the use of a plural pronoun.

"Yeah." Dean nodded his head. "There were two demons. I got both of them."

"The one who got you…"

"Is gone." Dean stated. Secretly, Dean prayed that he was telling the truth and that there had only been two demons at the Faire and that he had killed his tormentor.

"Good." Sam said weakly. Closing his eyes, Sam focused on his breathing and was relieved that his coughing was diminishing.

/SN/

Monday afternoon, Dean left Sam and Asaph at the hotel and went to grab them some lunch. Sam was feeling better, but still had a nagging cough. As Dean exited the restaurant with their order, he saw Castiel near the Impala.

"You did well." Castiel stated. "A new guardian, for Asaph, has been found and will stop by your hotel room tonight"

Dean walked past the angel, as though ignoring his presence and put the food into the car. Before climbing into the car himself, Dean stood up and turned to face Castiel.

"You think one will be enough. This last time, there were _two_ demons gunning for him." Dean stated. "Seems to me like it might be wiser to add a few more bodyguards to his detail."

"We're spread thin already. We can't afford to assign any one else to the task." Castiel paused. "Why, were you thinking about volunteering and staying with him a while longer?" Castiel asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dean paused, as he considered the question.

"You have your own job to do and that no longer requires you to watch out for Asaph. You need to move on now." Castiel said without emotion. "Asaph is still alive and able to do his job. You need to move on and continue with yours."

"And what exactly…" Dean began. A horn blared behind him and Dean turned to see what was going on. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Dean turned his attention back to the angel, only to find that Castiel was gone.

The next morning, the brothers said good-bye to Asaph and wished him well. Soon after that, they hit the road and were on their way to their next hunt.

/SN/

Sitting in a car, which was parked in a parking lot along a major highway, the driver noticed the Impala, containing the Winchesters, drive by heading out of the county. For a second, the observer's eyes turned black, before returning to their regular color. Did this mean that the boys were done playing at the Faire? Two experienced demons had failed to kill the seer. The observer knew this, since he too had been at the Faire over the weekend and witnessed Dean terminating the demons' time on earth. Thus far, demons had only succeeded in determining who wasn't the seer, by slowly killing people. The observer started his car and headed back to his hotel. He would be back at the Faire the upcoming weekend and would try to succeed where other demons had failed. His job was to find the seer and kill him, before any more of the demons' plans could be foiled.

**Writer's note: **Feedback and reviews are always appreciated. If you enjoyed the story, please let me know. If you have constructive criticism and feel that there are things that I could have improved upon, please let me know. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.


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